Kaiooshin-kai: A History
by Kid A1
Summary: An epic sword-and-sorcery-type tale about the future East Kaiooshin and his sensee...the mystery of the history and destruction of Kaiooshin-kai revealed. Shounen-ai warning. *COMPLETED! AT LONG LAST*
1. Prologue

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Prologue

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Millions of years ago, the planet that circles the Universe's equator, a sphere called Kaiooshin-kai, was not the dead planet it is now. Even though the highest of gods lived upon its surface, it was not considered holy ground, for there were also common folk there too: merchants and mages, bards and servants, and the occasional door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. (Just kidding about the encyclopedia salesman.) There were six clans upon the face of Kaiooshin-kai; only individuals from four of the clans could develop the ability to become a god.

Over the North Universal Quadrant watched the North Kaiooshin and his/her (it depended on who was chosen to serve as a god) clan, the Yuki (snow) clan, so named for the harsh winters they had to endure near the north pole of the planet. The Yuki clan was famous for their artists and merchants, who sold fine sculpture to the other areas of the planet. North Kaiooshin's hobby was usually producing fine artwork by telekinesis, showing his/her mental prowess as a god.

The South Universal Quadrant had the Hakuchoo (swan) clan, so named for the constellation Cygnus that lay overhead. And, they, of course, were known for astronomy and fortune-telling. The South Kaiooshin usually was a great prophet in addition to normal godly powers.

The West Universal Quadrant's clan was known as the Akai (red) clan, so named for their love of warfare and the color of the perpetually setting sun over their quadrant. The West Kaiooshin was usually a master of all martial arts, every single one ever created, in addition to being a powerful deity.

The East Universal Quadrant (which this story will mainly concern itself) was one of powerful mages with eerily light purple skin known as the Ten'ue ("above heaven") clan. This was because most often, the East Kaiooshin had the most qualifications to become the Dai Kaiooshin when s/he retired or chose to die. So these folk ended up watching the whole of the Universe.

There were two lower clans: the Zatta (mixed), a clan of hybrids between the four dominant clans of Kaiooshin-kai who worked as laborers; and an even lower class called the Namae-nai ("no-names"), whose social status was so low that they lacked even a last name. No one knew where the Namae-nai had come from; they just knew they were good assistants and did whatever they were told, more or less. There were a few rebellions between the Namae-nai and the four major clans, but most ended in the Namae-nai being either punished or sometimes even killed by a band of vagabond Zatta. 

Otherwise Kaiooshin-kai was a very peaceful planet (before the arrival of Buu, of course). Most Kaiooshin-kai-jin were moral citizens who upheld the letter and spirit of the law, except for the Zatta, who were usually accused when things went wrong, along with the Namae-nai.

This story will concern us with the Lead Mage of the East Quadrant, Ten'ue Hoshiko; her distant cousin and protegé, Ten'ue Ban'noh (soon to become the Kaiooshin everyone knows); and later on a Namae-nai named Kibito, a foreign wizard named Bibidi, and his demon creation, Majin Buu.

To be continued…

NOTES

Hoshiko= "star child"

Ban'noh= "almighty, omnipotent" (see why I chose it as the original name for 'Shin??)


	2. Book of Wands, part 1: Star-Child

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Wands, Part 1: The Star-Child

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

The old Lead Mage of the East Quadrant of Kaiooshin-kai felt his health began to slip away. He knew he would die soon, that the particles constituting his being would leave him and start life anew someplace else. He also knew that he had no heirs to pass on his legendary gifts in magick; he felt it was his duty to remain celibate as long as he could so he could channel his instincts into his magick. But now was the time he needed an heir. And as he was on his deathbed, he could do very little about it.

Or could he….?

He looked up at the night sky through the skylight in his living quarters. The stars shone relentlessly, as though to taunt him. They were burning bright, orbs of fire created by the very first Kaiooshins; he was becoming ever more dim by the second.

Then one star caught his eye. It was a peculiar color: yellow which slowly faded into blue. He watched it for a few minutes and marveled at its likeness with the ideals of magick. 

He then gathered the very last of his power into his palms and whispered, "Please…please give me an heir. One who shall never age past adulthood, and one who will know not the sting of natural death. Stronger than I was shall my child be; to insure this, make her female, with hair blacker than the night and magical capabilities to outshine the stars. May she guard and guide our Lord East Kaiooshin well; and if he happens to suffer misfortune, or very good fortune by becoming the Dai Kaiooshin, may she train a new one to take his place."

His palms glowed with the last of his magical energy, and up from them came a spiritual essence, which formed into a young girl, about eight or so by human standards, with wavy black hair like midnight, fine features, and the light lilac skin and elf-like ears typical of the Ten'ue clan.

Looking up at his daughter, Ten'ue Jujutsu whispered, "My dear, you are the child of the stars…I dub you Hoshiko."

"Hoshiko…" the girl whispered back as Jujutsu breathed his final breath and lay on his bed, serene in death.

Ten'ue Hoshiko, the star-child above heaven, was her name. Little did she know her reputation as a mage would precede her on the lonely little planet called Kaiooshin-kai…

TO BE CONTINUED….

The Book of Wands, Part 2: The birth and childhood of Ten'ue Ban'noh, the future Kaiooshin.


	3. Book of Wands, part 2: Messiah

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Wands, Chapter 2: Messiah

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: You guessed it! Each of the books is going to be named after one of the Tarot suits. So after Wands, you'll have Cups, Swords, and Pentacles…but not necessarily in that order. –Rivka

TEN YEARS (RELATIVELY) LATER…

Ten'ue Hoshiko, the heir to the lead Mage of the East Quadrant of Kaiooshin-kai, was now an attractive young lady, eighteen or so in human years. Her beauty, she found, was much to her disdain; Ten'ue males from (figuratively) miles around wanted her hand in marriage. She had to say no, because being young, she had to use every last bit of her essence for her magick. And she didn't see what the big deal was with men, anyway. She would much rather be reading a new spell-book than courting even the most attractive gentleman.

The current East Kaiooshin was mysteriously ill, and so he had commissioned Hoshiko to gather some potions or herbs from the North of the planet to cure him. Even though she knew her efforts would be futile in the end, as the current East Kaiooshin would die and another would soon be born, she went anyway to placate her God.

Looking around the bazaar, she saw all sorts of mysterious potions and herbs, as well as the artwork that the Yuki clan was famous for. She trudged through the snow to a small tent where she was sure to find the cure for her lord's disease. 

But, sadly, none existed.

Dejected, she went onward to the metal-smith's tent. Her eye fell upon a pair of hammered gold earrings; but when she inquired about them, the smith told her they were fashioned by the North Kaiooshin and had a reputation for bringing bad luck to the wearers. She picked them up, admiring their beauty, put them back, and walked away.

On the road back to the East she came upon a very pregnant Ten'ue woman, walking alongside her husband. There was something peculiar about this woman, something familiar even, even though she had never met her before in her life. She concentrated less on the woman and more on the unborn child now, noting that even _in utero_, it was quite powerful…and also comforting and familiar.

She just stood on the road, nervous about her discovery.

The woman was to bear the next East Kaiooshin!

The couple kept walking along the road, seemingly unperturbed by Hoshiko's presence.

The Hoshiko yelled, "Wait! WAIT! Ma'am, wait! I have important news!"

"What?" The woman seemed a little mad. Hoshiko came up behind her. 

"Ohoho, I didn't know it was you, Miss Hoshiko. I'm sorry for being so short. Now what is it you have to tell me?"

Hoshiko looked the woman in the eye and stated calmly, "Your child…"

"Yes?"

"He or she will be the next in the long line of East Kaiooshins. I can feel it. Mages can feel the presence of gods, even inside of their mothers."

"You jest, my child."

"I jest not. I felt the distinct energy pattern of a god."

The woman just stared at her blankly, until labor pains began to grip her insides. Hoshiko and the woman's husband began to carry her off to the nearest birthing-tent, where she could bear her child in peace.

After a relatively short labor, a baby boy was born; a boy who, when grown, would change the face of the Universe and rule over it.

Hoshiko, being in the position that she was, offered to train him in magick and other practical aspects of godhood. The parents recalcitrantly agreed to the deal, so by the time he was four, the child would be entirely in Hoshiko's hands.

The parents were stumped as to what to name a young god, so Hoshiko named him Ban'noh. Almighty, a traditional appellation for a high-ranking male god. 

Hoshiko looked into the infant's charcoal eyes and smiled. "I pray you will grow up to be more powerful of a mage than I and a better god then your predecessor…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Next chapter… Ban'noh's ('Shin's) Childhood and Hoshiko's training of him in the magical arts.


	4. Book of Wands, part 3: Omniscience

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Wands, part 3: Omniscience

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Hoshiko couldn't believe she had made such a deal with Ban'noh's parents. To put it quite simply, the young future god was getting on her nerves, any way he knew how. But then again, his parents were constantly pestered by his incessant telepathic nagging for food or toys or books or some such. She thought she could handle him; after all, he was only four, and she had dealt with Kaiooshins older than he before. What could be the big deal? she had thought.

She later found out that raising the child was a VERY big deal, not only because he was quick and cunning and seemingly liked to make a fool out of her, but also because the fate of the Universe would soon rest upon his shoulders. This she knew; and it was this she would repeat in her head every time Ban'noh-kun was acting up.

Hoshiko had bought herself some room by giving the young god a book of spells to read. Or so she thought. He had flipped through the thousand-odd pages within thirty minutes, and was now happily turning grass into chocolate.

Hoshiko, to put it mildly, was mad. "Ban'noh, you're not supposed to use magick like that! It's only for good purposes!"

Oh, really, she heard. Well, chocolate's good. With that Ban'noh stuffed his face full of chocolate again and smirked.

Damn, he's got me wrapped around his little finger, she thought.

He smiled, knowingly, put the chocolate down, examined his pinky, and said, "You're too big for that."

The kid had something there. Adults tended to overlook the literal parts of idiomatic language, even the gods. Children, on the other hand, seemed to have knowledge beyond that of their elders at points. 

She was curious now. Could a four-year-old god know everything? Quickly, she thought of some koans the older East Kaiooshin had taught her to use in meditation.

"Ban'noh, what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

The child looked at Hoshiko intently, with deep, penetrating charcoal eyes, and, without a moment's hesitation, said, "One of two things. It is either the sound of a waterless waterfall or the sound, barely audible, of millions of air molecules colliding into said hand."

"Oh, my God…" stuttered the mage. "You…you…it took me FIVE YEARS to figure that out!"

"I'm not your god yet," answered the child, "but I can already tell you're fairly slow of mind. But I'll forgive you, because you're supposed to be my sensee." He smiled, an eerily omniscient smile. "I learn magick now, yes?"

"Yes. Time for magick." Hoshiko took Ban'noh by the hand to an empty field where he would learn defensive spells, creation spells, destruction spells, and the like.

This was going to be a very hard day.

TO BE CONTINUED….

A/N: A koan is a Zen Buddhist riddle, designed to not really have a logical answer. Another example is "Prove that a dog does not have a Buddha-nature", or, in popular American culture, "If a tree falls in the woods, and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?"


	5. Book of Wands, part 4: Magick Maneuvers

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Wands, Part 4: Magick Maneuvers

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

(continued from where author left off…)

Ten'ue Hoshiko and her soon-to-be-divine _wunderkind_ headed off to a clearing to practice techniques used in the magical arts. The mage concentrated her energy, not choosing to have mercy on Ban'noh, even though he was a mere child.

Ban'noh, creeping a short distance behind her, suddenly appeared in front of her, smirking.

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What are you going to do to me? His voice resounded in her head. _I'm pretty sure I can take it._

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You're sure now? She replied in thought.

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Quite. You'll be surprised to find out how much I know.

"Yeah, right," she answered. "Just a few minutes ago you were turning grass into chocolate. ANYONE can do that."

"But I wanted chocolate!" he protested. Sure, Ban'noh acted like a god when he wanted to be; but, about half of the time he acted like a normal four-year-old boy with a know-it-all streak. Sometimes he acted so normal Hoshiko forgot he really did or at least would know everything, and it made her remember why she didn't want to have any children of her own. They were pains in the you-know-where.

She took a deep breath and sighed, defeated. This was one of those times he did make her remember that he was a deity; sure, to the untrained eye he was being cute, but to Hoshiko he was being underhandedly bossy and commanding…a dominant submissive, as someone had once put it.

"Yes, you wanted chocolate. Now we have much more important things to do than make chocolate. Like the magick training…"

"Okay." The boy sulked ever-so-slightly.

"Okay, first we levitate." She demonstrated on herself, eyes closed, palms out, floating about a foot off of the ground. Opening her eyes, she said "Now you tr…"

She was shocked to find the boy about two feet off the ground, traversing here and yon, around and around.

"What? That's magick? It's easy!" he grinned.

Hoshiko returned herself to the ground, entranced by the young god's floating. Then, suddenly, he stopped. The mage tried to take a step forward, but found her feet immobile, as if they were rooted into the ground.

And then she heard the boy's voice boom in her brain:

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Ha ha. Gotcha.

She was simply too amazed to get angry, as much as she wanted to. She'd heard of older Kaiooshins doing this psychic immobilization trick, and she had attempted it on some of her suitors, but she didn't expect it from a young boy!

She tried to talk, but her mouth wouldn't budge an inch, so she resorted to telepathy.

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Ban'noh-kun, you're a bit strong for me. How about I arrange some training with the Dai-Kaiooshin? Would that make you happy?

"Yes," he whispered. Hoshiko felt the psychic grasp on her loosen, and then subside entirely.

"Good. I'll make an appointment tomorrow."

He smiled at her, black eyes staring knowingly. He was going to get the most out of his education.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Part 5…. We meet Dai Kaiooshin, and let's just say it's different than you'd expect. ;) (OK, we know he's a pervert. 'Nuff said.)


	6. Book of Wands, part 5: Perversion and Et...

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Kaiooshin-Kai: A History

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Book of Wands, part 5: Perversion and Eternity

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Hoshiko got up with a start. If today's the day, she thought, best get ready. She put on her best outfit: a saffron-yellow doublet with puffy purple sleeves (which continued as a straight sleeve), the hems of which hung almost to her knees; a long purple skirt; underneath, a pair of carmine-red Oriental pants with yellow cuffs; a carmine-red sash to tie up the doublet, and a pair of flat black Chinese-style slippers.

As she put on her shoes, an uneasiness came to her mind. Were all the rumors about the Dai Kaiooshin true? Was he _really_ an old pervert? Did he really fuse with that Namae-nai witch?

She had to go see for herself.

Hesitantly she went to Ban'noh's quarters and roused him from slumber. His voice in her brain echoed, _Sensee, I'm not a morning person_.

"Yes, I understand," she whispered, "but today's the day you're going to see Dai Kaiooshin."

His face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes. Now go get dressed and we'll be on our way."

Ban'noh and Hoshiko walked the long route to the palace of the Dai Kaiooshin. On the way, they were surrounded by Northern merchants peddling the newest fad: the potara earrings. Whole crowds of people were gathered in the tents to buy them; buy these, they'll make you stronger, here's how, the peddlers howled.

But Hoshiko didn't buy into such things. Four years ago, she had come across what was actually the first pair of potaras in the metal-smith's tent in the north. She remembered the smith saying the earrings were cursed; but that didn't stop people with visions of grandeur from buying them and actually USING them. The North Kaiooshin was making a killing off of the earrings; but Hoshiko has heard they were originally invented to fortify diplomacy between the artistic North and the bellicose West. If the North Kaiooshin could invent something that he could sell to the West, it would tie the planet closer together. Of course, the potaras were big hits in the West, since they combined the bodies and spirits of two warriors together, boosting their strength; but it was later found out that the two persons involved became permanently fused. How the Northern mages, being some of the weakest on Kaiooshin-kai, did it amazed Hoshiko; also amazing was the fact that the earrings had been a smash hit in the East and South as well. The Dai Kaiooshin bought a pair, so it was said, and fused with a Namae-nai sorceress [witch] so he could overcome the loss of memory and impaired magic abilities that came with old age. It didn't help much, but 

the Dai Kaiooshin was still fused to the lower-class witch, for better or worse. He was just lucky that his personality was the dominant one in the fusion.

Ban'noh clamored for a pair, roused by the shouts of the peddlers. Hoshiko had to restrain the young god, both physically and mentally. He fought back, but to no avail since his sensee had telepathically reasoned with him- his "weakness", so to speak, was logic.

They kept on the road to Dai Kaiooshin's palace, not letting the earring salesmen or anything else be a distraction to them. When they finally got there, they noticed that the line was very, very long, so long, in fact, that it had to curl up on itself just to keep itself in the domain of the Dai Kaiooshin.

They waited in that line for two long years, subsiding on whatever food Ban'noh-kun had made out of the grass or soil, which was usually either chocolate or fruit. Hoshiko began to tire of chocolate day in and day out, but it was keeping her alive, so she had no reason to complain to her charge.

Finally, their moment in the sun had arrived. It was their turn to see the God of Gods, and the six-year-old boy was thrilled. He could learn so many things from the Dai Kaiooshin…

Or maybe not, since the God of Gods was making an approach towards his sensee that he really didn't understand.

"Hey, kid, you the East Kaiooshin-in-training?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, then, sonny, let me tell you that…" he paused for a millisecond. "Your teacher or whatchamacalit over there is really HOT! Whoa mama!"

"What do you mean? She's not on fire or anything, is she? At least I didn't put any fire spells on her…"

Great, thought Hoshiko. He really IS a pervert…and an ugly one, to boot.

Hoshiko walked toward the old Dai Kaiooshin, angry as all hell. "Just a minute, you…I happen to be the Lead Mage of the Eastern Universal Quadrant, and…"

"So what? You've got a great chest, you do," the God of Gods interrupted. "All bouncy…and…and…perky…and…damn!" Blood started to leak out of his nose.

"How in the world did you get so…erm…dirty?" Hoshiko asked the old god.

"Heck, been dirty all of my life. The purification spells they put on me when I became the East Kaiooshin long ago had no effect. I was resistant to magick, an' that's how I got here. Too powerful for most people's magick…'cept maybe yours, 'cause you've got me under your spell, hehe…"

"AUGGH!" yelled the mage. "Can't a woman get any respect around here?"

"Of course ya can get respect, for a price," interrupted Dai Kaiooshin. "Just show me your underwear, and…"

"OHHHH NOOO I'm not! Here, take Ban'noh-kun. Train him well; I'll come back to check on him once in a while." She handed the boy over to the perverted old man. "Ban'noh, don't listen to any of the stuff he says about…girls, okay?"

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Okay, he answered telepathically and grinned._ I'll just train._

"Bye-ya, sexy!" yelled the Gods of Gods as Hoshiko raced back home. "See ya 'round sometime, okay? I'll take care of the boy, don't you worry your pretty little head off…Hey, where'd she go?"

"Away," answered the six-year-old deity. "Now you can train me."

Dai Kaiooshin sighed. "Okay, but it won't be easy…"

END BOOK OF WANDS

STORY TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK OF CUPS

Cups, chapter 1: Ban'noh is now 13, and goes back with his original sensee…and someone else.


	7. Book of Cups, part 1: Reunion

A/N: Before I get started on the Book of Cups, I'd like to give a few shout-outs:

To **Datura**, with whom I share some private jokes, and without whom I wouldn't be writing this fic. If you were wondering about Ban'noh ('Shin) turning the grass into chocolate, you have her to thank. For she says, "Chocolate is the food of the GODS!" So I decided to make that a tad more literal, and…voilá! And, yes, Datura-chan, the "dominant submissive" thing came from you. It was kind of like a signpost, a near-silent homage to you, if you will, in the fic.

To **Offcentre**, my right-hand woman and introducer to fanfiction. I wouldn't have any of my 39-odd stories and poems up here without her! Not only that, she's one of my best online buddies, and one of the best fanfiction writers I know. I hope you get to read Kaiooshin-kai: A History soon…and, no, although I have a crush on Kaiooshin, I REALLY DON'T think anything *cough * "bad" about him. Like I told you, in my fanfic/otaku world, whatever you can say about or do to Jesus you can say about or do to 'Shin-sama. I know _that_ went in your Book O' Rivka Quotes…LOL

To **Jenn-chan**, my best campus friend and the first person I showed my art of Ten'ue Hoshiko to. I hope this fic lives up to your "Oh-my-God-she-is-sooo-cool" expectations of her.

To **Penniman-sensee**, my Japanese teacher, and to **Takagi Yuko**, the Japanese exchange student, for helping me with the intricacies of _nihongo_.

To **everyone else** that has either R-and-Red or will in the future.

Evil Mental Voice: OKAY, RIVKA! Knock it off with the shout-outs already!

Rivka: Okay, on with the story…

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Kaiooshin-Kai: A History

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Book of Cups, part 1: Reunion

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Seven long years (or the Kaiooshin-kai equivalent thereof).

That's how long Hoshiko had to wait to see Ban'noh-kun again. She had decided against visiting him because of the way Dai Kaiooshin would act around her. She was afraid of getting leered at again and being asked to show him her panties. But she had heard he had died and that the Western quadrant held his funeral, placing his spirit into the body of a large, heavy sword by magick. She was surprised that the Western mages could do such a thing; but, she decided, when push came to shove, any mage, no matter how strong they were, could perform any task.

The old East Kaiooshin, cured miraculously of his disease, took over the Dai Kaiooshin's position, and had Hoshiko serve as an honorary god (a job she wasn't very good at) until Ban'noh reached maturity. That's why she hadn't seen the boy in so long. Either too scared or too busy to see him.

But today would be different. Today she was invited to see her young charge again, by order of the Dai Kaiooshin. So she walked from her home in the East to Dai Kaioshin's territory, which, surprisingly, had no line of people clamoring for entry like before. 

The comforting, familiar face of her old boss showed up at the door. "Hello, Miss Hoshiko," said he, "we were expecting you."

"Thank you very much," she said with a polite little bow and walked into the plaza area outside. There she saw two figures: a hulking behemoth of a man with red skin, an unusual haircut, and a dour look on his face, and a much shorter fellow, she'd say about five foot or so, with the Ten'ue features and a pristine white mohawk, who looked extremely familiar.

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Ban'noh-kun, is that you? she thought to the shorter man.

"Yes, sensee, it is I. I am glad you came, for soon I will take over as the East Kaiooshin. And please do not refer to me as "Ban'noh" or "Ban'noh-kun" any longer. As you know, the work of a god requires the strictest formality, so please call me either Kaiooshin-sama or "Lord" or "Sir"…or in your case, I would be willing to allow "Boss"." He grinned his typical grin, the one Hoshiko had seen many times since he was a child.

Except this time…there was something there that wasn't there before.

The mage glanced over the features of her now thirteen-year-old charge. She gazed into the deep charcoal pools of his eyes, which squinted so when he grinned. Her heart pounded in her ears. She was feeling something towards him she wasn't supposed to feel, partially because he was a god and partially because he was much younger than her.

Great, she thought. He grew up to be absolutely gorgeous…and here I am, staring at him like some idiot, and not tending to my mage duties! Damn it, Hoshiko, get your priorities straight! You don't even want children, remember, and now you're staring at your student like he'd be a perfect father? Damn it, damn it, damn it all! Business first! BUSINESS FIRST!

She took a deep breath, only to find the gargantuan man staring at her, grumbling.

"Ehhh… and your name is, sir?" she asked.

"Kibito," he said.

"What's your family name?" She expected ANYONE who associated with a god to have a family name.

"I never had one."

"You…you mean you're…a Namae-nai?" she gasped. She would have never EVER considered a Namae-nai to associate with gods.

"Yes, that I am," he grumbled, "and I was chosen by Dai Kaiooshin, your old employer, to be the young East Kaiooshin's bodyguard and assistant."

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You must be joking, she telepathically communicated to Dai Kaiooshin.

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I jest not, came the reply. _Although he is a Namae-nai, he possesses gifts of telepathy and telekinesis to rival even yours, Miss Hoshiko. He also has great healing capabilities. And all of these things were self-taught, which I consider extremely amazing for his low social status. And he is very dedicated to Ban'noh- umm- East Kaiooshin-sama's well-being._

"Wow…" muttered the mage.

And then a booming voice, low and deep, came into her brain:

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Do not attempt to go near East Kaiooshin-sama. If you do, there will be hell to pay. I do not care if he was once your student; I watch over him now.

"What the…?" she gasped.

She stared at Kibito with disdain, as he did the same to her.

END PART ONE

PART TWO- the resolution of this conflict, and Hoshiko has a nightmare….


	8. Book of Cups, part 2: Hoshiko's Two Nigh...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Cups, part 2: Hoshiko's Two Nightmares

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: Before we begin, I'd like to say I bumped the rating up to PG-13 for a reason besides Rou Dai Kaiooshin's perverted antics in Wands. No, no one is going to get any. LOL Let's just say it started as a Weird Shounen-Ai Fangirl In-Joke (WSAFIJ) and progressed from there. As in, "What exactly does "_Hai, Kaiooshin-sama_" mean, anyway?" ROFL You can pretty much figure out the rest…*hehe* (hint: think of the Burns/Smithers thing on the Simpsons)

CONTINUED FROM LAST TIME…

"Why do you not want me to go near my own student?" she pleaded to Kibito.

A telepathic answer hit her brain like so much random organized noise_. Because…because of what you were thinking about him. I picked it up. _

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So? She thought back. _It's not a sin or anything_.

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I agree, thought the Namae-nai, _but you see…_ His thoughts hesitated. _You see…I…I kind of feel the same way about him_.

"WHAAAT?!?" screeched the mage. "You're…you're…you're SICK! Perverted! Absolutely crazy! Why would you even think such a thing? Have you had any girlfriends…ANY? ANY?!?" Then she muttered under her breath, "Namae-nai trash…"

"Please desist, Miss Hoshiko," interrupted Dai Kaiooshin. "I don't care who he likes, I only care that he is qualified for the position of the assistant to the East Kaiooshin. Which, as I shall remind you, he is. And please do not refer to him as "trash". He is a valuable member of our staff…"

__

By the way, thought Kibito to Hoshiko, _I have had a girlfriend. It was to be an arranged marriage. We didn't get along too well because she didn't understand me, she thought I was strange. She didn't understand my telepathic powers very much. We finally broke up when I was hired here a year ago. I was surprised as you are now that I started to develop feelings for the beautiful young man who is to become the East Kaiooshin. But, like you, I have to keep such things hidden because the gods are celibate and will never return your affections_.

I still think you're crazy, she thought back. _Maybe I can find you a nice girl or something_? _Not me, of course…_ On Kaiooshin-kai, it was expected of everyone (except for the gods), regardless of clan, to go out into the world, find a mate of the opposite sex (preferably from the same clan), get married and have (preferably a lot of) children. This…this was unheard of, and would cause riots among the populace if word ever got out about the new East Kaiooshin's assistant.

I am not interested, but thank you for the kind offer, thought Kibito.

Gee, I'd better re-think things, thought the mage. _Ban'noh-kun's going to be celibate, eh? That shoots that idea in the foot. And as for Kibito, I won't let anyone know about your crush. Does that seem fair, Kibito-san?_

__

Yes, thank you, he thought back..

After a hearty farewell from Dai Kaiooshin, Kibito, and the soon-to-be East Kaiooshin, Hoshiko set upon her way home.

That night, Hoshiko crawled into her bedclothes, put the taper out, and crawled into her bed and fell asleep.

But this proved to be a strange sleep, because the mage felt as if she were fully awake…

Hoshiko floated above Kaiooshin-kai and about the periphery of the Universe. She sensed an evil presence all around her, black like a ceaseless void; she turned around to see planets, stars, and even whole galaxies disappear in an instant. Then she traced the dark force back to her world, Kaiooshin-kai; she could hear every pitiful scream that echoed from the face of the planet as, one by one, all the life thereon was destroyed, even the lives of the gods. She looked around her in a circle; all the universe was gone, simply empty space. Then she heard the force whisper, subtly and eerily, "Majin…"

Then, in complete and utter panic, she got up with a start, gasping for breath. 

This was not a normal dream.

END PART 2

PART 3- We see what's causing this nightmare…or prophecy, as luck may have it.


	9. Book of Cups, part 3: Meaning and Majuts...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Cups, part 3: Meaning and Majutsu

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

The next morning, Hoshiko couldn't get the eerie dream out of her brain.

What was this force that called itself "Majin"? Why did it destroy? And most of all, was it all in her head or an actual prophecy, an actual force?

Confused, the mage hurriedly got dressed and ran off to the South Quadrant to see if any of the prophets there, most likely South Kaiooshin, had the same dream.

Once there, she spied booth upon booth of Hakuchoo astrologers dealing in the old system of tarot, and astronomers selling telescope views of the stars. But she had no time for such foolishness; she had to see South Kaiooshin at once.

Absentmindedly, she bumped into a young man about the same height as her with long slicked-back orange hair (all the Hakuchoo clan had orange hair), a long red jacket, and an old wooden staff.

"Excuse me," she said to him, "do you know where the South Kaiooshin is?"

"Of course I do," said he. "I am the Lead Mage of the Southern Universal Quadrant, my name is Hakuchoo Shirotori. I can lead you directly to him, if you so desire."

"Y-yes," said Hoshiko. "Certainly."

"I recognize you from somewhere- you look like a Ten'ue, but you have black hair instead of white."

"I AM a Ten'ue- Ten'ue Hoshiko, Lead Mage of the Eastern Universal Quadrant," she said, shaking the Southern mage's hand.

"I've heard quite a bit about you from my employer," he said. "You are quite gifted in the magical arts…you even had the privilege to train a young god! How did you receive such good timing?"

"I don't know," she said, dumbfounded that she was this famous in other quadrants. She had certainly thought less of the other mages, but she was surprised that the others were less egotistical than she. "Let's be off, shall we?"

"Yes." With that, Shirotori led Hoshiko to the area of the South Kaiooshin.

Once there, she asked, "Dear sirs, if I may so have the privilege of asking, did any of you have a dream or a vision about a dark, destructive force known as 'Majin'?"

Shirotori spoke first. 'Yes, I dreamed that Kaiooshin-kai, the whole of this planet, was covered with this dark force which called itself the 'Majin'. I didn't know where it came from, but I knew if it took over, the Universe would cease to exist. I knew it was prophecy because I felt different during the dream- like I was awake and moving my body via telekinesis."

Then came the South Kaiooshin. "Yes, I had a vision similar to that of my mage Shirotori here, but the force of 'Majin' transformed into a monster rather like a pink marshmallow…a being of infinite destruction formed by a foreigner's Kuromajutsu."

"Ku- Kuromajutsu?!?" squealed Hoshiko in shock. "Why would anyone use that?"

South Kaiooshin stared at her for a long while, filling her brain telepathically with one word:

__

Destruction.

A wizard, small and looking rather like a chartreuse rat, stood aboard a spaceship, brooding. He thought of where in the Universe he could find the Star-Child so he might be able to control his mind and gain absolute magical power. His magic orb had been on the fritz the past few weeks, so all the wizard named Bibidi had to go on was a short prophetic poem in his book of Kuromajutsu:

__

The orb upon which dwells

The Highest of the high

The Star-Child shineth bright

In the eastern sky.

He could make neither hide nor hair of it. Sure, Bibidi was a skilled wizard, but he didn't have very much of a brain for anything else. But he knew he had to find him. And the only way he knew how was to destroy planets, solar systems, even entire galaxies.

Thusly he rolled up his proverbial sleeves and chanted spells late into the night, the most powerful ones in Kuromajutsu. When all of his dark magic had become balled up into one place, he shouted, "Pa-pa-ta pa-PAAA!" and a shell, high as the ship, grew around the orb of magic.

It was alive, simple as it may have been, but powerful, perhaps the most powerful being in the Universe.

And the wizard Bibidi christened it Majin Buu, just because he liked the name.

END PART 3

A/N: Shirotori= "White bird"

Majutsu= "magic" Kuromajutsu= "black magic"; will use to describe magic system of wizards as opposed to mages.

PART 4- Hoshiko returns, and a god is made….


	10. Book of Cups, part 4: Bridegroom of the ...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Cups, part 4: Bridegroom of the Universe

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: Some quotes to set the mood for this chapter:

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It took so long to remember just what happened.

I was so young and vestal then,

you know it hurt me,

but I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive

even if signs seem to tell me otherwise. 

-Tool, "Prison Sex" (Tool is the place to turn for shounen-ai/yaoi song lyrics, BTW….)

__

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate;

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance of nature's changing course untrimmed.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

-William Shakespeare, Sonnet #18 (which, BTW, was written about a beautiful boy…)

Hoshiko, Dai Kaiooshin, and company tried to put their horror behind them in preparation for Ban'noh's big day. The day he would be married to the Universe, know all of its secrets. The day he would ascend to the throne of East Kaiooshin.

As the soon-to-be East Kaiooshin got on his new clothes (a long blue doublet with red trim and aqua sleeves, a red sash, aqua pants, and red boots), Hoshiko, Dai Kaiooshin, and Kibito prepared everything; Hoshiko practiced the initiation magick in her head, Dai Kaiooshin pulled a great feast for five thousand and a long red carpet out of thin air, to be rolled across the Eastern quadrant of the planet; and Kibito anxiously clutched a pair of potaras that he would give to the god when the time was right, hoping the petite purple deity would notice his assistant was wearing them too.

As Hoshiko ended her incantation practice, she went out to the tent where Ban'noh was getting ready. She noticed that a huge crowd of all classes, but mostly Ten'ue, was gathered around the red carpet, waiting for the god to make his entrance. Dai Kaiooshin was seated at the head of the dinner table, anxiously waiting for his replacement to arrive; and she could barely make out Kibito standing at the very end of the carpet, seemingly very nervous.

__

What's with you? she telepathically asked the Namae-nai.

__

I have one last chance…one last chance…I have so much trouble letting him go, knowing he will never love anyone again, ever! he replied.

__

Poor thing, she thought. _But it's destiny, you can't do anything about it._

__

I suppose, Kibito mentally sulked.

Hoshiko went into the tent, wringing her hands in frustration. She hated to see people suffer like this, but she couldn't do anything about it. The ceremony had to go on.

"Are you ready?" she asked the young god.

"Quite. But I do not exactly understand this kissing ritual."

"It's the last taste of freedom you get," the mage explained. "All the girls, or guys if you're female, in which case you aren't, will come up and kiss you. And your male mentors will give you a little peck on the cheek for good luck. As far as I know, all the gods have had to do this." 

"I see," he said, grinning his characteristic grin.

And Hoshiko saw what Kibito saw in him; intelligence, beauty, everything, conveyed by his bright, penetrating midnight-colored eyes and the manner in which his mouth curled slightly when he grinned. And her heart sunk for the Namae-nai. Honestly, she pitied him. As for her, she had moved on. She realized she wasn't going to get Ban'noh, not in a million years.

"Good luck, Kaiooshin-sama," she said to her charge, exhaling deeply. She then went up to the head of the dinner table where Dai Kaiooshin sat, in order to perform the ceremony.

The new East Kaiooshin walked out in stately grace, slowly measuring his steps across the red carpet. A few girls here, some there, would run up and kiss him gently on the cheek. Some were bold enough to attempt kissing the young god on the lips, but he just kissed their cheeks out of kindness. The crowd cheered and shouted "Good luck!" when he passed by. But Kibito still waited, more nervously than before, for what he saw when Kaiooshin walked steadily across the carpet was an angel, a state of idyllic grace and purity that soon would have a sign above his head that said, "Do Not Touch or The Universe May Go Very Haywire". He glanced down at the carpet, trying to distract himself. But it didn't work; nothing worked; his mind was still focused on the god he was assistant to.

Then he saw a pair of red boots waltzing across the carpet.

East Kaiooshin-sama's.

He looked up to see the young god's ebony eyes staring directly into his, as if to mock his feelings for him.

Kibito mumbled, "I have something to give you. A token of good luck. But you need to follow me, as I fear some people may dislike it. It's given some bad luck in the past, but you, sir, are a god, and you hopefully will transcend bad luck."

"What-what is it?" Kaiooshin asked.

"Follow me and you'll see," said the Namae-nai, still retaining a look of utter seriousness on his face as his insides began to coil in nervousness.

Kaiooshin, inquisitive, followed.

One out of the crowd, Kibito dropped a pair of solid gold potaras into Kaiooshin's hand. "Put them on," he said. "It's a reminder of your power."

Kaiooshin remembered these from when he was a child, and how Hoshiko wouldn't let him have a pair. He put them in his ears and sobbed, half out of the pain of the earring piercing his earlobe and half out of joy that someone finally gave him something that he wanted in his life.

He looked up at Kibito and thought, "_Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu_." ("Thank you ever so much.")

"_Doo ittashaimashite_" ("You're welcome"), Kibito thought back.

The light wind blew Kaiooshin's mohawk into his face, hair dancing above his eyes, still looking at his assistant. Kibito's heart pounded in his ears, deciding what he should do next. 

He bent over closer to his boss…closer still…even closer still, telepathically communicating, _You know how I feel. Let me show it before it's too late._

All he could pick up from the young god was a confused array of mental signals as he finally bent down and kissed him on the lips, gently, for a few seconds. Kibito stood up again, to find the lavender deity blushing and speechless.

Kaiooshin finally mustered the courage to speak. "I- I don't believe it. I just don't."

"Why not?"

"Because we were supposed to be professionals…"

"As we will be from this day forward. That was my last chance. I'll never do it again, I swear, sir."

"On your life?" Kaiooshin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, on my life," said Kibito, still knowing that he would still have feelings for him after he took the throne in Universe-marriage.

The two returned to the crowd, and Kaiooshin rushed up to meet Hoshiko, who would perform the ceremony.

"Turn about, my son," said the mage, "so all may see you. Now is the time you will surrender yourself to the Universe and take it in marriage, yes?"

"Yes," said Kaiooshin without a shred of doubt about what he was doing.

"Now, to recite the spell, ever-binding," said Hoshiko as she cleared her throat.

Dear Universe, take this to your bridegroom be

And have him serve you in sovereignity;

Wassail and women shall he not need

And upon him nothing may feed;

May he be devoted to his work

Devoted, devoted everlasting be;

Devoted, devoted everlasting be.

With that, she raised her arms in jubilation, and a whitewash of energy came over Kaiooshin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the new East Kaiooshin!" Around the central table, a whole planet could be heard applauding as Kaiooshin marched to take his throne in the East Quadrant.

But inside, one man still cried.

Kibito-san.

END PART 4

PART 5- More on Bibidi and Buu….I think…


	11. Book of Cups, part 5: Destruction Commen...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Cups, part 5: Destruction Commences

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Aboard the spaceship, Bibidi concentrated long and hard to find the location of the Star-Child and to channel energy into Majin Buu. His efforts were fruitless in the former aspect, but Majin Buu was definitely stronger than before.

"I suppose we test you, eh?" he said to the glowing veined ball in the middle of the spaceship. "There's a planet over there with a lot of life-energy. If we blow it up, we will gather more energy, and perhaps that of the Star-Child, understand?"

"Buu!" responded a voice.

"So you can talk, eh, my pet?" Bibidi put his "ear" to the ball to listen to what his demon creation could say.

"Buu talk! Buu talk lots!"

"Well, I'll be damned." Bibidi paced in front of Buu's orb.

"Me hungry. Where chocolate?"

"You don't need chocolate. You will feed on life-force, understand? When I let you out of that cocoon, you will go and destroy the nearest planet. It'll be FUN!" The wizard raised his arms over his head in jubilation.

"Me go now then."

"Yes, yes! We'll go!" With that, Bibidi pressed a teleportation button in the spaceship's hull, and both he and Majin Buu were gone.

The planet they were to attack was a lush, verdant one in the midst of the Andromeda galaxy, where all sorts of flora and fauna were to be found. There was an intelligent civilization there, the Baseru-jin; they had learned to control the lush rainforests on the planet to their advantage. But they were a weak people, with not much in the way of physical strength or technology. 

Bibidi and Buu landed on the planet, Bibidi releasing the pink demon from his slumber. Majin Buu devoured everything in sight, turning people into crullers and trees into Chocolate Mousse Pocky, until not a trace of life was left. Then Bibidi yelled, "Pa-pa-ta pa-PAAA!" and, suddenly, Buu's fist plummeted into the planet, crumbling it into shards of dust.

"Good work, my dear Buu!" Bibidi smiled. "But I have a feeling that the Star-Child was not on that planet…we will search for others, eh?"

"More! More! Buu want more!"

"Well, then, back to the ship we go! Are you ready?"

"Me ready!" With that, Bibidi yelled his customary "Pa-pa-ta pa-PAAA!" and sealed Majin Buu back up in his cocoon. With a wave of his hands, Bibidi and his creation were back in the ship, searching for more planets to destroy.

Shirotori was roused from slumber by an odd disturbance in the Universe somewhere. It most definitely wasn't in the South Quadrant, but it was there, and strong enough to wake the Southern mage from his afternoon nap.

He scratched his head, wondering if Hoshiko had picked up the same thing as he. She should have; after all, it was her quadrant, or so he thought (he wasn't exactly sure, but he had a sense it was in the East quadrant).

After a while, he got up the nerve to contact her telepathically.

__

Hoshiko? Ten'ue Hoshiko, are you there? This is Hakuchoo Shirotori, the Mage of the Southern Universal Quadrant.

Hoshiko, grown weary from the feasting and various other activities of the "coronation" of the new East Kaiooshin, bobbed her head up from her chair and said, "Huh? That you, Shirotori?"

__

Yes, it is I, he thought. _Pay attention please, this is very important. Did you sense the destruction of a planet in your quadrant?_

__

I think so, she thought back. _Something was shaking in the pit of my stomach while I was eating at the banquet…and it wasn't that Kibito snuck off with East Kaiooshin for five minutes to do who-knows-what…it was a different feeling, like part of myself were missing._

Shirotori got sidetracked. _Who's Kibito?_

__

Oh, he's just the new East Kaiooshin's assistant. It's kind of hard to believe he's a Namae-nai and he got this far, assisting a young god.

__

Figures he's lower-class, he was probably doing something awful to him. Now, what did you sense disappear?

Baseru-see, she thought. _A jungle planet in the midst of Andromeda. And I also felt…_

__

Majin?

__

Yes, Majin. _And a quite powerful Kuromajutsu force behind it, too. And I think it will destroy other words, including this one…_ she thought.

__

I'm quite sure of it, thought the Southern mage. _The prophecies of the Southern Mage tend to be very accurate._

With that, Hoshiko's stomach tied up in knots. It was unbearable to know the future and not do anything about it…

END CUPS

A/N: Baseru: Nipponization and anagram of the Spanish word for "jungle" (_selva_, or "se-ru-ba" in Japanese)

Next- BOOK OF SWORDS- the destruction of Kaiooshin-kai!


	12. Book of Swords, part 1: Arrival

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Swords, part 1: Arrival

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/n: When I said "married to the Universe", it's wasn't exactly literal. It's just that the god in question will become the servant of the Universe, protecting it and not going against its will. Kind of like a henpecking wife. LOL

Bibidi and Buu, having retreated to their ship, searched for more worlds on which to find the Star-Child. Not finding what they had searched for, they had turned planets to pizza and galaxies into grape gum. But Bibidi was beginning to lose sight of his original objective, and was just beginning to like destroying life-forms, planets, and galaxies for the sheer pleasure of it, the sense of absolute power and grandeur it gave him. As well as the hunt for the elusive Star-Child.

Then an idea came to his rather dull brain.

"It was so obvious! So terribly, terribly obvious!" he shrieked. " The highest of the high'- the Kaiooshins! Why, oh why didn't I think of it sooner?"

Buu responded, "Maybe you stupid."

"I am NOT stupid!" yelled Bibidi at his creation. "You shut your big pink _unchi_ mouth this instant or I'll destroy you!"

"Me not _unchi_, me pretty marshmallow."

"Fine, fine, you're a pretty pink marshmallow." Bibidi sighed. "Now, my pet, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

"Buu hungry!" he shouted.

"Well, I'm going to feed you something that's absolutely DIVINE!" the wizard cackled. "How does that sound?"

"Me want eat now!" replied the encapsulated pink blob.

"Good. We will arrive soon on Kaiooshin-kai." With that, he speeded up the ship and changed its navigational pattern.

It was the next day. Hoshiko had bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep, since she spent half the night worrying about the threat known only to her (and Shirotori) as "Majin".

She lay on her bed, with her head stuffed in between two pillows, trying to drown out the noises of the imminent hell that replayed over and over in her brain.

Then, a voice. A familiar voice.

_Shirotori…is that you_? The Eastern mage inquired telepathically.

_Yes, it is I. I can tell that this Majin business had kept you up last night. You had better get your rest._

Agreed. But it sounded like you had something important to tell me…

I did. I sense that, by nightfall, those practitioners of Kuromajutsu that we have loathed would come and destroy Kaiooshin-kai, will indeed commence their destruction.

How…how do you know?

Remember, Miss Hoshiko, that I am from the Southern Quadrant, and the mages there can see into the future much more readily than the others on this planet. Especially myself.

Ummm…yeah, thought Hoshiko, her ego blown to bits.

For some reason, I have a premonition they will be attacking the North first, it being the most vulnerable to warfare. There I must go…

No, no. You leave the North to the Lead Mage there and to the North Kaiooshin.

But my conscience is nagging at me, Hoshiko!

Is your conscience worth dying for another quadrant? I say, let the North defend themselves, and let you have no part. If you must die, please die on your own soil.

I see. You have a point there. The Southern mage pondered for awhile._ I will stay, so I may live to see the next day. Peace, I pray you. Now get some sleep._

I will. With that, Hoshiko repositioned her head in between the pillows and closed her eyes, hoping to rest before the cataclysm.

Bibidi's ship inched ever closer to Kaiooshin-kai, going through light-years of vast black space in mere seconds. The ship slowed down through the fourteen suns of the world of Kaiooshins, finally landing gently on the north pole of the planet in a snowbank.

Bibidi marveled at the sights around him, mainly at the artisan's and smith's tents, now empty.

But soon, he mused, they will be forever empty.

With that, he yelled his customary "pa-pa-ta pa-PAAA!" and let Buu free from his shell.

The Star-Child, as well as the power of the highest of gods, would soon be his.

END PART 1

A/N: _Unchi _= Japanese for "poop". This is a reference to Dr. Slump, Toriyama's other work, in which the pieces of poop are alive, pink, and have squinty eyes. The degree to which they resemble Kid Buu is amazing!!

PART 2- Bibidi and Buu assault the North….


	13. Book of Swords, part 2: Kita-no Taisen

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Swords, part 2: Kita-no Taisen (Northern War)

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

Bibidi and Buu wandered around the Northern Quadrant, raiding houses and eradicating all life there, changing it into delectable edibles for Majin Buu to feast on.

"So, my pet, are you full yet? I should say not, since we have yet to find the North Kaiooshin! He shall be quite tasty, don't you think, Buu?"

"Me think turn him into chocolate cake!" said the pink blob with something resembling a smile on his face.

"Good, good. Now we search for him, and possibly the Star-Child, yes?"

"Buu!" he agreed. "Me want eat!"

Bibidi cackled. "Of course you do, my pet. You can turn the whole Universe to shishkabobs if the gods aren't there to stop you!" He raised his arms up, a gesture that signified that he, too, was hungry, but not for food- he was hungry for POWER. ABSOLUTE POWER. And he didn't care what he had to destroy to get it.

The wizard and the demon-spawn kept walking around and around the North Quadrant, not bothering to stop and ask for directions, as Bibidi was too arrogant and stupid to do such a thing.

Then they stumbled into a young man, tall and elegantly slender, with elfin ears and a seemingly gelled pageboy-type haircut.

He yelled, "Lord North Kaiooshin-sama, these are who the ones from the South have been warning me about. They come to destroy our planet."

North Kaiooshin got up from a half-sleeping daze. "Yes, yes, my fine Yuki Tsukibana, why did you not tell me of this earlier?"

"You were too busy, my lord."

"I see. So the Lead Northern Mage could not find time to tell me of such goings-on?"

"No, I was free, my lord. You were too busy manufacturing those damned potaras."

"I see."

"Now we must put up a good defense," said the Northern Mage.

"You will die before you get the chance to!" interjected Bibidi. "You see, this demon, my creation, Majin Buu, is much stronger than you and the North Kaiooshin put together! And he has also exterminated the whole of your populace and robbed their energy. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The North Kaiooshin and Tsukibara gasped in unison.

"Worry not, my lord," said Tsukibara, "I shall defend you." With that, he raised a sphere of purest white light from his palm, and shouted an incantation:

"May the light I holdeth in my hand

Put these two evildoers at bay;

No more harm shall they do in this fair land,

and may Death come and seal them away!"

The light left his palm, growing ever more fierce in its intensity, ramming the air particles in search of its targets. 

But Bibidi yelled his customary "Pa-pa-ta pa-PAAA!", and the powerful magic bounced off of him and Buu and returned to Tsukibana, the light changed into the darkness of Kuromajutsu; the mage, being unable to block the transformed spell, was blown to smithereens,

Bibidi just stood there and cackled like a maniac. "So, North Kaiooshin, you are the only one left in this quadrant. How does it feel to be the last one standing?"

All North Kaiooshin could do was stand there in fear and shock. Buu puffed up his cheeks and aimed his "antenna" at the petrified North Kaiooshin, turning him into a giant chocolate cake.

"Mmmm….yummy!" said Buu before shoving the chocolate cake into his mouth.

"Good work, dear Buu!" applauded the wizard. "He didn't even put up a fight! if the gods are that easy to defeat, our work here will be a piece of cake!"

"Buu!" The pink demon applauded.

The two nonchalantly travelled down the road to the West Quadrant, to see hwat "challenges" awaited them there.

Hoshiko was stirred from slumber. Her stomach felt somewhat empty, not out of hunger, but out of the feeling part of Kaiooshin-kai was missing.

__

Shirotori! They have…

Yes, I know, said the Southern mage telepathically, _they have destroyed the North. The West is their next target. I don't know how the Westerners will react, especially since I have a feeling brute force alone will not exterminate this threat. A combination of magic and strength will defeat them. I don't know if any of the quadrants have such a thing…even the South or East…_

Oh, dear Universe!

Lady Hoshiko, be calm. We will get to things as they come. I am very sorry that Tsukibara died. We didn't know him too well, but he was still a Lead Mage, so it feels like a part of me has died, too.

__

That explains the feeling in my stomach, thought Hoshiko.

__

Yes, yes. Now I must be off to discuss important matters with South Kaiooshin.

Hoshiko got up on her feet and ran to tell East Kaiooshin, or 'Shin, as he had been affectionately termed by those who knew him well.

"Kibito-san, did you feel something?" asked East Kaiooshin to his assistant.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"This planet will be dead soon, and I don't know if I can stop it or not. I believe is it the will of the Universe that at least one Kaiooshin survive. And I hope it is me."

"I hope so too, sir," smirked Kibito, his face much too serious for a genuine smile. "If I must die so you may live, so be it."

"You are quite the assistant," the young god smiled.

And Kibito thought in the back of his head, soft enough so it wouldn't be picked up by telepathic signals:

And you are quite the perfect being, my dear Kaiooshin-sama.

Hoshiko came running towards the both of them, gasping for precious breath.

"It's…it's…" she stuttered.

East Kaiooshin calmly stated, "If this is about the North of Kaiooshin-kai being destroyed, I already know. They will come around to the East within the next few days. We will take care of this evil when it comes around to us."

I hope so, thought Hoshiko. I truly hope so.

END PART 2

A/N= Tsukibana: "Moon Flower". 

I'm sorry this part had to start so lamely, it just that I got stuck at the beginning.

PART 3- West battle. 


	14. Book of Swords, part 3: Nishi-ni Jigoku

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Swords, part 3: Nishi-ni Jigoku (Hell in the West)

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: Before we get started with Swords 3, I'd like to apologize for being so slow with getting this chapter out. I've had a lot of schoolwork to do, as well as working on my Kaiooshin-sama web page (the address to which is in my profile), which means translating manga and whatnot. Sorry for the inconvenience. –Rivka

Also, for the people who don't like the fact that in this fic Kibito-san is around 30 (thinking too much makes you age prematurely) and has a very deep crush on 'Shin, don't read. It'll get a bit more intense in Pentacles (no sex!!! **I repeat, no sex!!!**- just that the bond gets stronger). –L.R.

Bibidi and Buu, having destroyed the North of Kaiooshin-kai, headed on the road to the Western Quadrant.

"So, my pet, do you still have your appetite?" the wizard asked the pink blob.

"Buu hungry!"

"Good, good. I wanted to make sure. You have another quadrant to feast on!"

"Buuuuuu!" The demon jumped about a foot in the air and turned a few cartwheels in infantile merriment.

"Splendid! Now we go hunt for snacks!" The wizard clapped his hands while Buu still did cartwheels in the air.

"SNAAAAACKS! Me hungry!" Majin Buu stopped in midair and followed Bibidi into the West. 

Hundreds, nay, thousands of pitched tents lay strewn about the quadrant. The Westerners preferred to live like nomadic warriors, even though they had essentially nowhere to wander and no one to fight. The only permanent structure was the domain of West Kaiooshin and her mage.

More tents to empty, mused Bibidi.

On the wizard's orders, Buu stuck his head into each and every tent, turning the inhabitants into bear-claws and eating every last one of them.

But he was not full yet. Oh, no. 

"Are you full yet, Buu?" asked the wizard.

"No, no! Me not full!" His squinty eyes opened and his mitt-like hands clenched. "Me want eat Kaiooshin! Last one was tasty!"

"Good, good! We'll go then!" The wizard pointed towards the West Kaiooshin's territory.

"My lady, something is not quite right," said the Western Mage Akai Chishio to West Kaiooshin. "A strong force, which has ravaged the North and has just destroyed out population, is coming upon us. It is extremely dangerous and…"

"Hold your tongue, man!" West Kaiooshin was not known for her politeness towards others; she was known as an Amazon of sorts, a warrior. "Nothing is too dangerous for us! Besides, you're a stupid man, what the hell do you know?"

"I know plenty. The Southern and Eastern Mages have telepathically contacted me and warned me of one who uses the evil art of Kuromajutsu to…"

"Heck, I can fight 'em," smirked the goddess. "Kuro-whatchamacalit is nothing compared to my skills in the martial arts. Now hand me my sword! NOW!"

"Y-yes, madam," said Chishio, shaking, and grabbing the saber from the shelf above West Kaiooshin's throne.

Then, the sound of the door being kicked down. A wizard, looking rather like a short, balding chartreuse rat, and a pink blob entered the West Kaiooshin's fortress.

The blob yelled, "Buu!" and West Kaiooshin lunged at it with her lucky saber. I went right through Buu's belly…

But the damn thing didn't even bleed or fall down. All it did was pull the sword out of its belly and toss it aside like a splinter.

"Wha…what the…?" asked West Kaiooshin nervously. "That was my most powerful sword! It didn't put a dent in that pink tub of lard!"

"What 'tub of lard'?" asked Buu to Bibidi.

To which came the reply: "It means you're too fat to stand up! Now go get them!"

"BUU MAD!" He puffed up like a blowfish and steam came out of the holes in his head and upper arms.

"What do we do now?" asked West Kaiooshin to Chishio.

"We run! My magic won't work against these guys! They're too powerful!" But before they could even run a single pace, Buu turned them into strawberry shortcake and shoved them into his mouth.

"Good job, my pet! Soon there will be no more Kaiooshins! And the power of the Star-Child will be mine! I will rule the Universe!" Bibidi did a 'happy dance' of sorts.

"Gods yummy! Me eat gods up!" They danced about in ecstatic circles, happy that half the population of the holiest of planets was gone.

"Oh, dear Universe!" blurted Hoshiko.

"What?" asked Kibito.

"The West Quadrant has just been destroyed by the same force that pillaged the North!"

"That I know," responded 'Shin. "The best thing to do is to remain calm until this dark force comes around to us. The South is next on these tyrants' hit list, so you'd better warn Shirotori-san, if you can."

__

Sir? Thought Kibito to Kaiooshin.

__

What?

I hope you survive. I don't care if I die, but I hope you survive this.

W_hy do you say such things? Certainly your life is as important as mine._

No. My life is nothing. Yours is everything. It is inexorably linked to all life in the Universe. And besides, I would rather die for you, sir, than die for no apparent purpose.

'Shin inhaled deeply, his face slightly flushed. He remembered that Kibito had that thing for him…and he was slightly embarrassed. But if it meant having the Universe's best bodyguard, he didn't care.

A telepathic scream burst into 'Shin's and Kibito's heads. 

__

SHIIIIROOOTOOORIIII-SAAAAAN! screamed Hoshiko into his mind.

__

Yes, what is it, Lady Hoshiko?

__

Sorry to tell you, but you're next on the Majin menu.

Shirotori's heart sunk.

END PART 3

A/N Chishio- "blood"

PART 4- Ravishing of the South.


	15. Book of Swords, part 4: Death

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Swords, part 4: Death

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

After what seemed like hours of frenzied dancing, Bibidi sealed up Majin Buu back in his shell with his customary "pa-pa-ta-pa-PAAAA!". The wizard then rolled the ball towards the South…

Until he sensed something. The most powerful God, Dai Kaiooshin, would make an easy target. Bibidi knew that the old, fat, kindly god was near death, and of this he would waste no time in taking advantage.

Thusly the wizard set a new course for himself and his hideous creation; they would stop in the middle of the planet first, absorb Dai Kaiooshin, and then destroy the South.

Dai Kaiooshin sat upon this throne in the planet's central courtyard, feeling his heartbeats weakening and his breath become more shallow and rapid. He knew his time had come…

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a short, ugly figure meander by with a large veined ball rolling behind it. Closer it came, closer still. The God of Gods was frightened, but he convinced himself that, in the last days of his life, he was hallucinating.

The trouble was, he wasn't.

The short, rodentlike creature waved his hands and yelled his usual incantation of "Pa-pa-ta-pa-PAAAA!", and out of the ball came what could only be described as a pink blob with squinty eyes.

"ME EAT YOU UP!" it yelled at the God of Gods. Dai Kaiooshin quivered in fear; his heart began to stop and his breathing slowed, but, before he could die with any dignity, Majin Buu had him turned into a massive pound cake.

While Buu stuffed the cake into his mouth, Bibidi cheered. "Good, good, my pet! With the God of Gods gone, the Universe shall certainly go into a shambles! Which means it will be much easier to destroy the other Kaiooshins and get the power I deserve! Don't you agree, Buu?"

The pink demon nodded his head "yes" while he ate. When he was finished with the Dai-Kaiooshin-pound-cake, he got up, and screamed, "BUU!"

"Excellent, excellent! Now we're going to pay a little visit to the South. Hold on tight, Buu!" said Bibidi as he waved his arms about, returning the demon to his shell.

Hoshiko just stood next to East Kaiooshin and Kibito, her head slumped down,and muttered, "He's gone…"

The other two could sense that Dai Kaiooshin had died, but they didn't know how.

"Yes, I knew he was very sickly. I would not be surprised to learn he had died," said Kaiooshin.

__

No, no. He didn't die of natural causes… she thought.

__

You mean…?

__

Correct, sir. This Majin force or whatever it is has gotten to him. The Universe may go haywire, of this there is good possibility. But what I'm even more scared of is that we will go, too, and the Universe may cease to exist…

__

Dear Universe! interrupted Kibito. _The last thing I would want is…_

__

Yes, yes, interrupted Hoshiko, _that Kaiooshin-sama should die. We all know that_.

The two of them turned to face the Eastern Mage, faces flushed.

They knew not what to say or think, as her last comment had captured them totally off-guard.

Bibidi and Buu crossed down to the Southern Universal Quadrant of Kaiooshin-kai , raiding houses, turning people into creampuffs and scones, wrecking astronomical equipment, and generally causing a panic. They continued to do so until they reached the residence of South Kaiooshin and Shirotori.

Bibidi attempted to kick down the door, but it would not budge. He kicked and kicked harder still, but it wouldn't move. He even had Buu try to throw his whole body weight onto the door, but no luck. The door was surrounded by a seal of strong magick.

"What- what the hell is this?" screamed the wizard, his arms waving wildly.

From inside, a male voice said, "I knew you were coming, so I put a barrier around the door."

"What? A barrier? Certainly I can break it down using Kuromajutsu."

"I'd like to see you try." Hakuchoo Shirotori amplified the magical energy around the door, but to no avail; within ten seconds the door was knocked down by the combined forces of Kuromajutsu and Shirotori's barrier turned into dark energy by the black magical art.

"What the-?" asked South Kaiooshin from his throne.

"My lord, these are the creatures about which I have prophecied. I knew not what the wizard looked like, but the demon he created is very familiar to me. I have seen it numerous times in visions."

"You should be proud, you have a strong mage there," snickered Bibidi to South Kaiooshin. "But I doubt he is a match for my Majin Buu!"

Just then, Buu fired his "antenna" at Shirotori. The mage lifted up his staff, said a few secret incantations in his mind, and attempted to block the oncoming energy. But it was no use, as the staff gave out and Buu ended up turning Shirotori into a pile of pancakes, which he then shoveled into his mouth.

"Good job, my pet! Now go eat the yummy god over there while his defense is down."

"Buu!" replied the corpulent blob as he walked towards South Kaiooshin. The god hid behind his throne, petrified, but it was no use.

Shirotori, he mused, I should have listened to you…but it's too late, as you are pancakes…

Those were the final thoughts of East Kaiooshin before Buu turned him into a jelly donut and ate him.

"Ha ha! Terribly, terribly easy! We will have this planet at our mercy, Buu! Hahahahaha!" Both wizard and demon danced again in mindless circles, quite happy at their proposition.

Kaiooshin and Kibito could not help but notice that Hoshiko was now crying, face buried in her hands.

__

What's wrong? asked the god telepathically.

__

The South has been destroyed, and…and Lord Shirotori is… The sound of plaintive wails even cut into her telepathic communication.

__

Poor girl, thought Kaiooshin to Kibito. _Probably liked him…_

__

I DID NOT! interrupted the mage. _He was just a good friend…_

__

Listen, thought Kibito, _I know how this unrequited love thing is,_ (he glanced over at Kaiooshin) _and I think you had something for the Lead Southern Mage. But I could be wrong._

__

Would you please stop embarrassing me! thought Kaiooshin, his face even more red than before.

__

I'm sorry, sir, I will attempt to not embarrass you too much. I humbly apologize, Lord Kaiooshin-sama. Kibito bowed his head in shame.

In the back of his mind, 'Shin thought, _What did I do? I guess all this death and confusion is getting to this quadrant…_

END PART 4

PART 5- East!! *G *


	16. Book of Swords, part 5: Stasis and Life ...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Swords part 5: Stasis and Life Anew

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

After their latest bout of ecstatic dancing, Bibidi sealed Majin Buu up once again in the confines of his egg and headed for the Eastern Universal Quadrant, this time with slightly higher hopes.

If the Star-Child wasn't in the other quadrants, mused the wizard, he must definitely be here.

So on they went into the East, asking all people living there if they knew anything of a mystical being called the Star-Child. When they answered "no" (and all of them did), he would release Majin Buu and have them turned into brownies or bundt cake or something of that nature. And, like always, the pink demon-spawn would go stuffing the desserts-that-used-to-be-Kaiooshin-kai-jin's into his mouth.

"Ha ha! Excellent work, Buu! We are just a few steps closer to having the whole of the Universe right in the palms of our hands… we must kill the East Kaiooshin and his mage and absorb the Star-Child's power! Won't you follow me?"

"Buu!" agreed the pink blob.

"Good, good." With that Bibidi sealed up Buu in his egg with the customary incantation of "Pa-pa-ta pa-PAAAA!" and headed for the domain of the East Kaiooshin.

_ _ _ 

__

Did you feel that? thought Hoshiko to the two men standing beside her.

__

Yes, quite, answered Kaiooshin. _They are now in the Eastern Quadrant…we had best be on our guard, for many have died, and I do not want the three of us to be next_.

__

So much havoc…so much…thought the mage. _I can't stand it! What if I watch one of you die? What if? So many questions, with so few answers, and so little time to answer them in… _Her lips curled upwards in an expression of panic.

__

Lady Hoshiko, please calm down. I assure you that there is no fear, even if we die, for we die for a noble cause, thought Kibito, again staring at Kaiooshin-sama.

__

Oh, great, not **this** again, thought Hoshiko, slapping her face in embarrassment.

__

What? answered the god. _Please do not harass Kibito-san, he is necessary for my survival in times such as this…_

__

He's more than THAT, if you get my idea, thought Hoshiko in the back of her head where no one could hear her. _It's downright disturbing…_

Suddenly, a dark force snatched Hoshiko from the pit of her own private thoughts.

"Guys…" she announced,"…they're here."

And indeed they were, for not fifty feet in front of the trio stood a chartreuse rat-like creature, Hoshiko guessed the wizard, and a giant veined ball.

And closer and closer they came… closer still…

Kaiooshin and Hoshiko trembled in absolute fear. Then all three of them found the wizard and the demon-egg standing within a foot of their faces.

The wizard waved his arms bout above his head and the ball split in two, revealing a creature that appeared to be an enormous pink glob of glue.

"Buu!" it shouted, and Hoshiko felt the evil pangs of Kuromajutsu in her stomach. "ME EAT ALL OF YOU UP!"

"Oh, no!" yelled Kaiooshin.

"Oh, yes indeed! He will turn you all into snacks!" Bibidi cackled.

Kibito got down on his knees, submissive, and gently asked, "If you wish to kill us, kill me first. I know I will die nobly for my Lord East Kaiooshin…"

"WHAT? What kind of religion does this man practice?" asked the wizard, bewildered. "Well, if you want to die so bad, maybe I should let you live and watch you suffer!"

As the Namae-nai rose to his feet, Kaiooshin complimented him telepathically. _Nice use of reverse psychology, Kibito-san._

__

It wasn't reverse psychology. I really meant it, sir. Kibito smiled as well as he could manage.

"Hold on!" yelled the wizard. "I sense some unusual energy coming from the girl…" Bibidi looked around, and he held up his hand, in which appeared a small black globe.

In the globe were the floating words, Star-Child.

Yes…it makes sense…mused the wizard. But how in the hell can a girl be the Star-Child?

"What do you want?" asked the mage.

"How can this be?" asked the enraged wizard. "How can the Lead Eastern Mage, of all the people in the Universe, be the Star-Child I'm after?"

"Star…Child?" Hoshiko looked very puzzled. "Odd, that's what my name means. My dad told me that when he died… In my understanding, he wished upon the stars for a girl, and he got me, more or less."

"You are he…I mean, she, my dear," cackled Bibidi, "and therefore I have to kill you." The rodent-like wizard smirked evilly, coldly, before the dark-crystal orb disappeared from his hand, and in its place was a ball of black energy, prepared for launch.

"You sure as hell aren't going to kill me!" yelled the mage as she placed her hands together and said this incantation:

If you cannot start life anew

Upon this orb, please keep stasis;

And as for our adversary here,

I pray thee, give him a deadly kiss!

As her hands separated, fine threads of glowing white energy wrapped around each other to create a ball of purest white. She stepped back on her right foot and threw the orb at Bibidi and Buu; but what she didn't see was that Bibidi had created a dark barrier out of the black energy he had in his hand, and that her pure white magick-energy had been tainted by Kuromajutsu and was coming back at her, all black and all-engulfing.

The sheer force of the reversal-attack had Hoshiko down on her back, her body littered with near-deadly wounds.

"Lady Hoshiko!" gasped the young god and his assistant in unison.

__

Do you want me to go heal her? asked the Namae-nai to his superior.

__

Yes, go ahead, please. The god gave one of his mysterious smiles to Kibito.

Kibito walked towards where the young woman lay, almost on the brink of death, her body almost drowned in blood. _It will be alright, Miss Hoshiko_, he thought to her. I can heal you. Lord Kaiooshin-sama thought it would be best if I did…

__

No, no, she thought back. _I have a question for you…_

__

Yes?

Can you absorb energy and give it to other people?

Not that I know of, but it's worth a try. Kibito smiled slightly. _You want to give your energy to Lord Kaiooshin-sama, yes?_

__

Yes. He is more powerful and skilled than I am. Please do it, if you can. With this she started to form a small spark of energy in her left palm, and Kibito picked up her hand, meditated deeply for about ten minutes, and watched, fascinated that he could do such a thing and also somewhat envious of her for dying a martyr's death, as her life-energy left her and gathered up into his arm.

His arm still swirling with Hoshiko's life-energy, Kibito walked over to the young god and whispered, "Take my hand. If you want to defeat him, take my hand."

Kaiooshin-sama looked up at Kibito and blushed slightly. He felt rather awkward around his assistant, but he didn't know why, exactly. Embarrassment, or something even a god had yet to figure out?

Stopping his train of thought, he slowly extended his hand and hesitantly gripped Kibito's. A surge of energy went through him, making him stronger and more confident. He then proceeded to blow Bibidi to smithereens with a very strong energy beam coming from intense staring (_Ki Aigan_), which the wizard was too weak for and didn't see coming.

And then, with a wave of his hands, he caught Majin Buu off-guard and sealed him up. He whispered some incantations to himself and the veined ball flew off of Kaiooshin-kai, into the Universe-knows-where.

Kibito smiled. _You did a very good job today, sir._

__

Yes, but business is not finished, the god thought, a nod of his head indicating Hoshiko's nearby corpse.

The two survivors of the Majin massacre went into Kaiooshin's abode and put on their clothes of mourning, simple black tunics tied with their normal-colored sashes instead of the fancier shirts they were accustomed to wearing. They then got a pick-axe and Kibito went to work digging up a grave for the mage that was somewhat dignified, being as rather harried and wrought with panic as they were.

Kaiooshin rolled her dead body in, and spoke softly. "Dear Universe, I know that this planet has been a war for quite some time now, but I pray you, let Hoshiko's soul and the souls of all others killed on this sphere find peace and rest."

Kibito stared at Kaiooshin, a tear welling in his eye, but the rest of his face still. "Very eloquent, sir. I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Yes, but we must move on. Please, take my hand." The young god smiled. This time, Kibito blushed. "What, do you not want to be immortal like me?"

"I-It would be an honor, sir," said the Namae-nai as he firmly gripped his hand. Kaiooshin closed his eyes, and, in an instant, Kibito became immortal.

__

You can let go now, the god thought. It's over.

__

I don't feel any different, but thank you ever so much. Kibito let go of his hand, and Kaiooshin wandered off a few feet into the distance, put his hand on the ground, and whispered an incantation to himself. Soon the ground of Kaiooshin-kai was covered in a soft white glow.

__

What…what the…? thought Kibito.

__

That was a preventative measure. I made it so no mortals can walk upon this planet unless the Universe is in grave danger. This should prevent us from any further attacks of this magnitude.

Indeed, sir, but there are only two of us…

__

We will keep the Universe sane this way, thought the god with a smirk. _Now let's go inside, shall we? It has been a long past few days, and we need our rest._

Of course, sir, thought Kibito.

_ _ _

On a planet far from Kaiooshin-kai, a rodent-like young wizard named Babidi screamed in utter pain because he felt that his father was gone.

And to whoever killed him, he swore revenge. He would find Majin Buu and kill whoever killed his father. This would be his life's mission.

Sweet, sweet revenge….

END OF SWORDS

CUPS- whatever happens in DBZ/GT, with a few pieces of the puzzle resolved. I will not re-write DBZ/GT, and I will skip over some parts.

A/N-

Felix McCadden- I got your review and it made me laugh! Honestly, I thought, "Yeah, I KNEW he was queer" to be absolutely hilarious! Probably b/c you put something I assumed and said it so bluntly! Although in traditional societies like Kaiooshin-kai (and medieval Europe and feudal Japan, upon which it is based), there's not really such a thing as a fixed sexual orientation. You get married, have kids, and everything else you do gets shoved in the closet. LOL

Lyonette: Glad you like my stories! I was expecting to get a lot of flames for my pairing, but I didn't. Actually, I got a lot of COMPLIMENTS!!! *G* 

Everyone: Thank you sooooo much for supporting me! And they say the authors on FF.net are evil and cruel…Well, we proved them wrong, didn't we?

Until Pentacles, Rivka


	17. Book of Pentacles, part 1: The Night bef...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

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Book of Pentacles, part 1: The Night Before the Budookai

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: This chapter's going to be a bit…mushy. Kibito/Kaiooshin. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Those who dislike shoonen-ai or mushiness proceed with caution.- Rivka

Two Kaiooshin-kai years (that's 5 million years on Earth) had passed since the extermination of all life upon that sphere- except for two fortunate individuals, who were up in the night, pacing the bedroom because of their own private anxieties about the horror of the past and the uncertainty of the future.

Kaiooshin, exhausted from pacing, slammed his body against the bed. He really needed to get some sleep, for the next day he and his assistant Kibito would go to a planet called Earth, where they learned that a tournament with that planet's strongest fighters would be held, and also where Majin Buu was to be found, along with his new master Babidi, Bibidi's son. This was not what worried him, oh no; he was more disturbed by what had developed in his heart about Kibito-san. He didn't know what it was exactly; but now, two years later, the young god had developed a certain fondness for his assistant that he really couldn't articulate into words, much less thoughts. He knew Kibito had always felt that way about him, and Kaiooshin was embarrassed about it in the past. Or so he had thought.

Laying don looking up at the canopy of his bed, Kaiooshin mentally reviewed everything that had happened since he had met Kibito-san. He especially remembered when Hoshiko died to save him, and he was embarrassed to take Kibito's hand…he still remembered his face turning a hot crimson at the mere suggestion of it…

That was the beginning of a long road of events that drew god and assistant closer. Kibito had actually moved in with him after the decimation; since they oddly had one bedroom in the East Kaiooshin's quarters, they had to share it, something that Kibito had looked forward to and that 'Shin had his doubts about. But the god had gotten used to sleeping in the same bed with his assistant, even if he did hog up the blankets when they were asleep.

All of those somewhat awkward memories caused Kaiooshin to sigh audibly. Kibito stopped his pacing sat on the bed, and asked "What's wrong, sir?", his face looking genuinely worried, even though it was still, in the manner Kaiooshin had seen many times before.

No answer, but the young god was blushing.

"What? It's okay, you're probably worried about the tournament on Earth tomorrow and taking care of Majin Buu. That is understandable." Kibito sulked slightly.

"N-no, I'm not that worried about Buu. I…I'm just…" The god choked on his words.

"What, sir? Do you have a secret?" Kibito reclined on the bed. "If so, I can go first. I have some things I need to get off of my chest anyway."

"Such as…"

"Have you ever wondered why I'm here? Why I am in the position I am?"

"Well, I know that Dai Kaiooshin hired you, the Universe bless that man's soul. Otherwise, I don't know much about you." Kaiooshin sighed.

"Well, in my village I was the freak," started Kibito, his eyes looking vacantly out the window. "I didn't have a father; there were rumors that one of the gods or mages had raped my mother, but they were totally unfounded. Not only that, but I was a very inquisitive boy, soaking up books in my youth so by the time I was six I had more education than what a god usually gets. Third off, there was the matter of my healing powers, which I have had all of my life. My mother was very difficult with me, reprimanding me whenever I picked up a new book to read or when I healed an injured bird outside. All that woman did was yell! But by the time I was thirteen, she decided to marry me off, in the Namae-nai tradition of arranged marriage. Well, let's say that after three years, the girl's parents decided to make us get a divorce, which was fine with me because the girl acted like my mother anyway and was scared half to death of my ability to heal people. I wandered around the village, not being able to fit in anywhere. My mother decided she was going to fix that by having me marry another girl, but she was even worse to me than my first bride was. Her parents made me divorce her about a week after we were married because they found out about my intellect and my ability to heal. Well, being the idiots they were, they told the village elders and I was exiled, and told never to associate with another Namae-nai as long as I lived. I wandered about Kaiooshin-kai for five years, trying to make a living at teaching; but luckily Dai Kaiooshin found me and introduced me to you, Kaiooshin-sama." A tear dropped from Kibito's eye.

"That was terrible," exclaimed Kaiooshin. "It seems like no one in your village loved you, no less cared about you." His heart sunk for Kibito. "Lie down, you'll be less anxious." Kaiooshin smiled, and Kibito, his spirit refreshed, did as he was told.

"And…I want to know…what are you hiding that's making you anxious?" inquired the Namae-nai.

Kaiooshin blushed again. "I-I-…it is difficult to explain. I am a little disturbed about it. Two years can change a man, or, in my case, a god. I see you in a very different light, Kibito-san…" Kibito's name turned into a breathy whisper on the god's lips.

Kibito turned around, intrigued by the sudden softening of Kaiooshin-sama's voice.

__

You mean? Kibito thought to 'Shin.

__

Yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but over these past two years, I have been secretly reciprocating your affections towards me. It had me in such a state of anxiety…

__

Don't worry, my lord, I understand, thought Kibito back as he leaned in to kiss the young god.

Kaiooshin had remembered the last time Kibito had done this, when he first became a god. He felt very awkward about it, but now…there was something…something so right about the whole ordeal. Like Destiny calling to him.

The two kissed very gently, chastely, and the floodgate of emotions hopped from Kaiooshin's mind to Kibito's and back again, leaving the two of them gasping for breath.

Kaiooshin smiled as he lay down, falling asleep, anxieties gone until waking. And he could tell via telepathy Kibito was doing the same too.

As both knew, tomorrow would be a busy day, and they had to act professional. No touching, no kissing…just give them a godlike aura and they will be pleased with you.

The two of them finally fell asleep, aided by these thoughts and the thoughts of each other.

END PART 1

Part 2… Kaiooshin and Kibito arrive on Earth a few Earth days before the tournament.


	18. Book of Pentacles, part 2: Welcome to Ea...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

__

Book of Pentacles, part 2: Welcome to Earth

A Dragonball Z fanfic by LadyRivka

Morning. 

Two of the fourteen suns of Kaiooshin-kai shone directly into the bedroom of Kaiooshin-sama and his assistant, piercing their eyelids with light.

The young god stretched slightly, his eyes opening gently, taking special care not to rouse Kibito, who had fallen asleep with one hand on the god's side.

But, unfortunately, he did wake his assistant from slumber, for he opened his eyes and smiled at the young god as best he could.

"_Ohayoo gozaimasu, Kaiooshin-sama_" ("Good morning, Kaiooshin-sama"), he said, taking his hand off of Kaiooshin's body and blushing slightly. "I didn't meant to do that…How are you? Are you ready yet, sir?"

"No, I just got up." He languidly got up from the bed, avoiding the canopy, and stretched out his arms. Kibito was half-sitting, half-lying down, with his head leaning on one of his fists as Kaiooshin went to pick out some clothes for the important day ahead.

A sudden thought hit Kaiooshin's mind:

__

Sir, how many Earth days do we have until the Budookai?

I would say about a week. Why?

Come back to bed for a little while. The Namae-nai grinned as best as his face could allow.

__

You wouldn't…Kaiooshin's face turned bright crimson red.

__

No, no, I wouldn't do that. If I did, you would no longer be innocent, you'd no longer be the Kaiooshin-sama that I love, the pure white light of my heart; and furthermore, the Universe would have us both be dead meat. 

The young god sighed. _What do you want, then, Kibito-san?_

To be close to you for a little while longer. Again, Kibito smiled as best he could.

__

I suppose I could manage that…after all, when we're on this planet, I don't want to arouse any of the mortals' suspicions. With that Kaiooshin eased himself back into the bed.

Thank you ever so much, sir. Kibito started playing with the god's pristinely white hair, and 'Shin smiled his ever-mysterious smile.

__

Sometimes, thought Kibito to Kaiooshin,_ I have to get back to the simple things in life that make it all worthwhile. Like how soft your hair is…the way you breathe…the way you smile so…how sweet and gentle you are and how I can never return that, no matter how hard I try… _A tear welled up in his eye.

"Mmm." 'Shin mumbled in relaxed agreement. "I'd like one more thing before we set off for this planet where Majin Buu is. As this is a business trip, I doubt we will have time to do things such as these, or have mortals become suspicious, as I said before. So, one last little kiss before we go?"

"_Hai, Kaiooshin-sama_," whispered Kibito as he leaned in ever closer. But he was a little startled when the young god reached his lips first, and the contact sent a whole wave of emotions between the two, enough for a mortal couple to last a lifetime on, although it was in a matter of mere seconds.

Catching their breath, they both changed into their "formal" clothes and headed via "Kai-Kai" to Planet Earth.

---

Once there, they became quite hungry.

"Have you tried Earth cuisine before, Kibito-san?" Kaiooshin stared directly at a large, dimly glowing sign that read "PIZZA" across the street from where he and his assistant were standing.

"No, I haven't." Kibito sulked slightly.

"So you don't know what this 'pizza' stuff is?"

"Sorry, but I don't, sir."

"Would you like to try some?"

"Certainly." Kibito grinned slightly and followed Kaiooshin-sama into the pizzeria.

"Hey, what can I getcha," asked a bored man behind the counter.

"Ummm…how about a large cheese pizza and two waters?" said Kaiooshin.

"Mmkay, that'll be 500 zenii, please." Kaiooshin handed the man 500 freshly minted zenii that he had produced himself and laid it firmly in the man's hand.

The man behind the counter freaked. 

"HEY, VINNY! There's this guy who touched my hand an' it felt like I had a near-death experience or somethin'!"

To which Vinny replied, "You're a nutcase. Go back there an' fetch 'em a cheese pizza before I chop yer friggin' head off!"

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! Jeez, why the hell you have to keep botherin' me?" The clerk gave Kaiooshin and Kibito their pizza and water, and they sat down to eat.

They opened the box, and were pleasantly surprised to find a round piece of bread dough covered with tomato sauce and cheese, divided into eight pieces. 

Kaiooshin picked one up and shoved it in his mouth, but the damn cheese was burning his palate and so he spit it back out, hyperventilating.

__

Ouch, thought Kibito. _That had to hurt. I'm not eating any of that stuff._

Definitely, thought the god back. _This thing…I would call it "pizza burn"…is one of the true mysteries of the Universe. Let's take our waters and go, shall we?_

Hai, Kaiooshin-sama. They took the waters out with them and "kai-kai"-ed over to the Tenka-ichi Budookai stadium to register.

"Your names, please?" asked one of the monks running the show.

"Kibito."

"Shin."

"And is Shin participating in the Adult or Junior divisions?"

"Adult division. I'm just short, that's all." He smirked.

"All right, would you wait in the dining area until we get the punching machine up?"

"Yes," Kibito and Shin answered in unison. They had detected several strong ki's on Earth, and if this wasn't the place to find them, they didn't know where else to look.

So they sat there, waiting.

END PENTACLES 2

Pentacles 3- Where 'Shin and Kibito show up in Z.


	19. Book of Pentacles, part 3: Chikyuu-no Ha...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

**__**

Book of Pentacles, part 3: Chikyuu-no Hakkyoo (Earth Insanity)

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

They waited.

Amidst a sea of fighting hopefuls, boasting about how they were going to get into the 16 spots and defeat a man named "Mr. Satan", Kibito and 'Shin waited patiently, being careful not to show any affection towards each other, nor to say anything about their mission.

An Earth week was not a long wait; but the restraints the immortal pair placed upon themselves were proving to be quite a burden. No touching, no talking. Just the use of telepathy to get their points across. It was very hard on them, for sometimes they felt they needed to utter something or to hold the other's hand to reinforce the telepathic messages.

They felt the heat of a thousand eyes staring upon them, wondering what the hell a short purple guy with a mohawk and a tall red fellow with a perennially sour expression on his face were doing at a tournament. They didn't need to arouse more suspicion, especially on this planet, by making any sort of romantic gestures.

__

I wonder when it's going to start, thought the god to his taller comrade.

__

I don't know, sir, responded Kibito. _We will wait_. The "bodyguard" sighed, slightly audible.

__

Would you like some food?

__

I'm rather uneasy about Earth cuisine after the pizza incident, but I am hungry. The two made their way to the udon booth to get some noodles.

Surprisingly, they were delicious, and they didn't burn one's palate like the hot pizza cheese. Both were satisfied with their fill.

__

Next time, we're going to get more udon, ne? thought Kaiooshin-sama.

__

Hai, Kaiooshin-sama. Kibito smiled. Kaiooshin-sama always had good taste in everything…

___

Although an Earth week was a short wait, the two immortals had essentially shut down the udon booth with their incessant eating to escape boredom. Sometimes they were tempted to share a bowl, and hope to end up munching on the same noodle, á la Lady and the Tramp, but they didn't. They were here on business, not on vacation.

One of the monks stepped in, excited. "Ladies and gentlemen, the punching machine is up! Please leave the area in a calm and orderly fashion!" Before the monk could finish his sentence, the two immortals "kai-kai"ed out into the punching stage. A mob of excited mortals rushed by them, hassling to form a line for the punching machine.

__

Kibito-san, let us just go towards the back.

Hai.

Kibito and Kaiooshin slowly walked towards the end of the line, and, if by some mystical force, some mortals had opened up a place for them to stand in.

__

Nice people, these Earthlings, thought Kaiooshin. _Don't you agree?_

__

Well, sir, that was your own doing, and we know that. Kibito smiled as best he could.

They watched as the champion, the aforementioned "Mr. Satan", got the first punch, and scored a 139. People ooh'ed and aww'ed, but, as far as the god could tell, he was still fairly weak compared to some others on this sphere.

He was correct. A woman, with bobbed blond hair and slanted ice-blue eyes, stepped forward when the announcer called "#18". She stared at him and said, "Yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out or I just might have to use you instead of the punching machine."

"Where'd you get a name like that?"

"Oh, don't worry, my father was an incompetent fool." With this, #18 put her arms at her sides and confidently strutted up to the punching machine, giving it a gentle tap. Her score was 770.

__

Maybe she is the one for whom we are searching, thought Kibito.

__

No, I know there are ki's stronger by far on this world. Watch and see. Kaiooshin grinned.

"Umm…we're going to have to re-calibrate the machine, folks, just wait five minutes…" said one of the monks.

A man, shorter than Kaiooshin, was talking to her from behind, and she nodded her head. "No need," she said. With that, she punched again, a light little tap, and scored a 221. (A/N I don't remember exactly what the scores were, so forgive me.)

Others were behind her: the short fellow she was conversing with, a tall Namek-see-jin, a short man with pointy black hair, and a man, about six feet tall, with oddly styled hair, that was the legend of this world…

Yes, that was him, mused Kaiooshin, that's Son Gokuu. 

All of them tapped the punching machine gently, and scored in the 200's and 300's…except for the pointy-haired fellow, he decided to blow the machine to smithereens.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could you wait while we bring out another machine…it will be a few hours. There will be no cutting in line, nor leaving it for any reason. I suppose none of you will be fighting in the Junior Division, so…" the monk cackled to himself.

An Earht hour passed, and they got the machine up. A fellow called "Great Saiyaman" got a 300, and the girl behind him, one "Videl Satan", got a 175.

__

Kibito-san, I believe that's him, I'm not sure, but he feels like he has the strongest ki on this planet. If Babidi is to use any energy, it will be his.

Kibito merely nodded.

Finally, after 15 Earth minutes, it was their turn.

Shin tapped the machine lightly and got a 350; Kibito did the same and got 310.

"You're…you're definitely in this thing, guys!" said the shocked monk.

They both smiled in unison.

"We'll just have to wait for the draw, fellas…it'll be in a few minutes."

"All right," said Kaiooshin. "Kibito, let's go."

And off they went to the draw area.

(You know the rest….this will pick up at the finding of Babidi and company.)

END PENTACLES 3

PENTACLES 4: The death of Kibito to Kaiooshin-kai and fusion.


	20. Book of Pentacles, part 4: My Blood Shed...

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

**__**

Book of Pentacles, part 4: "My Blood Shed Before Yours"

A DBZ fan fiction by LadyRivka

A/N: The title for this part comes from a quote from the fantasy series Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan…and, no, I haven't read it, Neko-chan gave me the quote. Ask her about it…. The Warder/Aes Sedai relationship and Kibito/Shin are remarkably similar, she tells me.

A/N #2: This chappie is dedicated to anyone who finds discrimination based on whom he or she loves- a different race, a different religion, the same gender, et cetera. Love is love. It is one of the emotions that make us human, and we should be thankful for that. And how many times were we taught in Sunday school (or the equivalent) that "God is love" and "We should love like a child"? Everyone should be able to find a Place of Happily-Ever-After with their loved one, even if the world looks down on them. This chapter also is dedicated to my parents, who managed to stay together for over 20 years, and in love, when the world became a wasteland of loveless sex and easy divorces. They should serve as an example to couples- m/f, m/m AND f/f. Third and lastly, this goes out to all of the GLBT people I know and are friends with (Jason, Rev. Jordan, Lila, Joy/Will, Sydney…)- keep reaching for the rainbow and don't let us straight people (especially the bigoted ones with their heads up their ass) stop you from achieving your dreamns and finding true happiness. –Love, Rivka

A/N #3: A little song quote to get you started (again!)…

The snake behind me hisses what my damage could have been.

My blood before me begs me open up my heart again. 

And I feel this coming over like a storm again. 

I am too connected to you to slip away, 

to fade away. 

Days away I still feel you touching me,

changing me, and considerately killing me…

And the snake is drowned and as I look in his eyes,

my fear begins to fade recalling all of those times.

I could have cried then. I should have cried then.

And as the walls come down and as I look in your eyes 

my fear begins to fade recalling all of the times

I have died and will die. It's all right.

I don't mind. 

I am too connected to you to slip away, to fade away…

-Excerpts from "H." by Tool

On the mountaintop they perched, sensing the drained energy of Son Gohan reaching its destination. The wizard Babidi, Bibidi's son.

Kaiooshin, Kibito and the Z Warriors all waited anxiously, not wanting the wizard and his minions to sense their presence. Spopovitch and Yamu were holding the vial of Gohan's energy, in great hopes that Babidi would find their work pleasing.

Then, the door of the spaceship below the cliff opened. Out stepped a chartreuse rat-like being, with a tall, apparently demonic creature behind him.

"Da-Dabra! The King of the Demon Realm! How could he…damn him!" yelled Kibito.

__

Frankly, I did not know that Bibidi's son could be so powerful, to have the King of Demons at his disposal, thought Kaiooshin to his bodyguard.

__

Neither did I, sir. Kibito's face started to show signs of a paralyzing fear.

That fear was realized when Babidi destroyed Spopovitch, and Yamu was blown to bits by Puipui. 

But then they heard an announcement made to the king of the Demon Realm:

"We have company over on that cliff. Destroy them."

And Dabra did. He randomly selected Kibito, and swooped down towards the tall bodyguard, his palm spread in front of Kibito's face.

The Namae-nai's jaw dropped.

__

Sir, I think I may…I may…die… he telepathically reported to Kaiooshin.

Kaiooshin's mind was blank through all the fear. Then it happened, the Demon King let loose a massive energy blast. Kibito, although he had a very worried expression on his face, wanted to make his last thoughts to the young god quite clear and quite poignant.

__

Kaiooshin-sama, I love you…I'm dying for you…

Then the full force of the energy explosion hit, and Kibito was blown into smithereens.

Kaiooshin's heart felt like it was being ripped into a million pieces. His insides felt like they were exploding, like he was feeling a remnant of the energy blast go through him. His head ached from all the stress, and there was no one to console him. His assistant, his bodyguard, his friend, his lover- gone now. He was scared and alone.

All this pain culminated into one plaintive cry of:

"KIBITOOOOOOO!!"

---

(Skipping over some things…la la la…-Rivka)

Ever since Kibito had died, 'Shin felt like he was wasting away. Slowly but surely…

But when Majin Buu had been unsealed, he was cocky and childish about the whole ordeal, and Buu had almost killed him.

Now here he was, on the brink of death, his face covered in blood, kneeling in weakness, calling out the name of the only person he thought could save him since Kibito had passed away.

"G-Gohan-san…"

He still felt a faint trace of ki from the demi-Saiya-jin. It was his last hope. His very last. If he died, he damn well knew the Universe would go with him. And his bodyguard was gone. His rock, the being he had depended on most, in his mind, in his heart, and in his soul.

Again, a plaintive cry…no, no, more like a whimper since Kaiooshin was running out of ki…of "Gohan-san!" 

Again, no answer. 

The demi-Saiya-jin lay unconscious in a nearby forest, so he could not help him…

Again the little god called for him with the last of his strength, and, again, no answer. Kaiooshin's knees buckled as he fell to the ground, slowly sinking into unconsciousness.

__

Kibito awoke in a large crater, surprised he was alive. He was certain that Dabra had killed him earlier that day. It was some sort of miracle…but the irony was, he had been around the God of Gods for 5 million Earth years, and he should know about miracles. But this one had yet to be explained.

A twinge of a familiar ki, crying out in pain, hit his senses.

"K-Kaiooshin-sama? Where are you?" were the first words to spring from his lips.

He sensed Kaiooshin's ki again, feeling he was on the brink of death…but thank the Universe he still had ki!

"Kaiooshin-sama! I will arrive shortly! Do not worry, sir! As long as you are still alive and I can save you, that's all that matters."

With that, he started to fly in Kaiooshin's general direction, a smile on his face, guided by the faint trace of Kaiooshin's ki.

Kaiooshin was slipping in and out of consciousness now, his thoughts were becoming hazy. 

Then he felt the gentle tap of a hand on his back. He then felt a sweet energy filling him, making him whole again. His heart silently thanked whoever was doing this, IF they were doing this and he wasn't dying.

"Good," boomed a loud bass voice next to him.

'Shin lifted his head and slowly got on his knees.

He couldn't believe who he had seen, heard, and was just healed by.

"Kibito! Thank goodness!" He smiled as he thought to the taller fellow, _I've missed you so much_. 

__

So have I. Kibito smiled back.

"I-I thought you were…"

"So did I. By a strange set of coincidences, the Universe has let me live…"

__

Do you think it was a coincidence, or was it fate? 'Shin smirked.

__

That I do not know, sir, and I wish I did.

Well, enough of the mush, we have to get back to our duties. After that thought, Kaiooshin said, "We must find Gohan and rescue him. I know where he is, follow me."

"Hai, Kaiooshin-sama." Kibito followed him, not knowing what he was expected to do. Maybe the god was lying to him. Maybe he had found another. These thoughts he kept in the back of his head, away from Kaiooshin's telepathic capabilities. 

Once they got there, they saw Gohan's near-lifeless form on the forest floor. 

"Do you want me to heal him, sir?"

"No, no. We will wait until we arrive back on Kaiooshin-kai."

This aroused Kibito's suspicions further. "What? Are you crazy? You're going to let a mortal set foot on the holy sphere of Kaiooshin-kai?"

"No, I am not crazy. You have yet to see Gohan's true power. He can defeat Majin Buu, I am quite sure of it!"

Kibito was shocked. He HAD found another. Especially if he was yammering on and on about his "true power". But before Kibito could say anything, Kaiooshin grabbed hin and Gohan's unconscious form and yelled, "Kai-Kai!"

__

Once there, Kibito grovelingly healed the teenager, meanwhile yelling telepathic curse words at the god.

"Where- what is this place?" said Gohan, confused.

"Kaiooshin-kai- my humble planetary abode," replied the little god, seemingly unfazed by Kibito's growing anger.

Kibito said nothing and just growled.

"What am I doing here?" The demi-Saiya-jin scratched his head.

"We want you to pull out the Zet Sword in order to defeat Majin Buu."

"ZE-ZET SWORD?!?!?" screamed Kibito, his mouth hanging in absolute horror.

"What's the Zet Sword?" asked Gohan.

"It is a mystical sword said to give the wielder tremendous power. No one on Kaiooshin-kai has been able to pull it out, not even Kibito or myself."

Ha, thought Kibito so no one else could hear, I could do THAT. You keep underestimating me and overestimating the mortal! Probably that very revealing black spandex is distracting you from our work…not to mention me!

Then they took off, Kibito alongside Gohan to monitor his actions.

Ha ha, the bodyguard thought. Two can play at this game. Traditional Kaiooshin-kai garb is not as revealing of various body parts as THAT outfit is!

With that, he zapped Gohan and gave him a set of clothes similar to Kibito's own.

"OOH!" yelled Gohan.

"Gohan-san, that outfit is very becoming of you, I must say!" shouted Kaiooshin.

Kibito could not keep his thoughts to himself any longer. _Sir, I made those clothes, and yet you compliment Gohan! Gohan this, Gohan that! I cannot stand it! AURGGH!_

My, my, Kibito-san, I'm just being nice. Kaiooshin smiled at him.

Kibito's expression turned sour again…

__

They landed on a hilltop where a sword handle was obviously rising from the rock below.

"This blade," stated Kaiooshin, "is the Zet Sword."

Gohan stepped forth to pull it out, but to no avail.

__

Told ya, thought Kibito.

No, no, have faith in him. He'll do it.

Faith my foot! You never had faith in **me** to do anything…

Great, here we go again with the guilt trip. Kaiooshin sighed quietly.

It's the truth! It IS the truth! And you can't handle it! Ha ha ha!

Kibito-san, stop acting like a child! You are much too wise to be holding such arguments with me! Watch and see what Gohan can do.

Kibito felt like Kaiooshin-sama was rubbing salt into his wounded heart.

Finally, Gohan went SSJ and pulled out the sword.

"All right!" yelled Kaiooshin. "Now, we go over there to test it!" The three of them went over to a nearby field. Gohan practiced with it for a bit, but soon got tired. He asked Kibito to hold onto the sword for him because it was so heavy.

Now was Kibito's chance. His chance to impress Kaiooshin-sama and to change his mind about Gohan.

He had held onto the sword for a fraction of a second when its tremendous weight dragged the bodyguard down to the ground, falling flat on his face.

Kibito got up again, still determined he could win Kaiooshin-sama back. He bent his knees, and carefully tried to pick up the sword again.

He ended up dragging it about three feet, his teeth clenched, and his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. 

There was nothing more to do but accept defeat to a blasted sword.

"Ah…you didn't tell me how heavy it was. AND YOU'D BETTER NOT TRICK ME AGAIN!" he screamed.

Kaiooshin and Gohan just sweatdropped.

(skipping over some parts from here to next chap…)

END PENTACLES 4

PENTACLES 5- The fusion and struggle within Kaiobit. (Sorry I didn't get to the fusion in 4, there was more material than I expected. –Rivka)


	21. Book of Pentacles, part 5: Split-Brain

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Kaiooshin-kai: A History

**__**

Book of Pentacles, part 5: Split-Brain

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: For the sake of brevity (c'mon, I'm not going to re-write DBZ here!), I have decided to skip a few things. As of now we fast-forward to when Gohan breaks the sword, and then to Kaiooshin and Kibito becoming Kaiobit. –L.R.

Kibito couldn't shake the fact that the little god had shown much faith in Gohan.

Too much, in his humble opinion. First he wanted HIM to pull out the Zet Sword and use it against Majin Buu. And now…now practically spoke for itself.

Son Gokuu had arrived on the planet, which had fazed the bodyguard at first, but he had not shown as much faith in the father as he had in the son. Gokuu had thought it would be a good idea to train Gohan using the sword, and Kaiooshin agreed. Now the little god had conjured up a block of Kacchin metal, the strongest in the Universe, to test the sword against.

Kaiooshin threw the block towards Gohan, and Gohan attempted to cut through the metal…

…But the sword broke. Everyone was in shock because this supposedly indestructible sword had broken. It couldn't even stand up to Kacchin metal! Some sword!

Everyone just stood there, mouths agape, talking about how the Zet Sword had been a dead end, when, a few minutes later, a voice could be heard behind Kaiooshin and Kibito:

"Hehehe….yer wrong, fellas!"

The god and his bodyguard practically jumped out of their skin with that remark. But they turned around and there was this old, thin Kaiooshin standing behind them.

"I was a Kaiooshin 15 generations before you fellas," he explained simply.

"Fif-fifteen generations? You must be kidding!" yelled Kaiooshin, slightly defensive.

"Nope, I ain't, and I'm damn happy to get outta there!" he said, pointing to the remnants of the sword.

(skipping over a lot of stuff here…like Mystic Gohan training, blah blah blah….)

"Now", said Roo-Dai Kaiooshin, as he was called, or simply "Elder" by Kaiooshin and Kibito, "You're talking about all this fusion business, Gokuu? Welp, we Kaiooshins have had a secret for eons- something more powerful than fusion. The Potara Earrings."

"Huh?" asked Gokuu, Kaiooshin, and Kibito in unison.

"Well, ya take one of these earrings," he said, pulling the ones off of his ears, "and put it on your left ear. Gohan takes the other one and puts it on his right ear. C'mon, you two young'un's can demonstrate." He made a gesture to Kaiooshin and Kibito.

Kibito was excited, but Kaiooshin was rather tense about the whole ordeal, because he was attached to Kibito, but he didn't want to be attached to him LITERALLY.

"Okay…" Kaiooshin breathed a deep, calming breath. "I'll take my left one off, and you take your right one off, understood?"

"Hai, Kaiooshin-sama." They did as Kaiooshin had directed, and it was like a black hole had opened up between the two, pulling them inside, into the confines of one body.

The being composed of the two old comrades stared down at his hands. He had never felt such an incredible power surge in his life; the two components had never ever felt so close in their lives, so utterly close. It was as if they could touch each other's thoughts now…

"Wow," the unified being spoke, "What power! Gokuu, I think I can fight Majin Buu alongside you now…"  


"Waaaait a sec," the old Kaiooshin stated calmly. "You're nowhere near powerful enough to do THAT."

"What?"

"Yep."

"By the way, I'd like to get back to my old selves…my head is killing me…" 

"Ya ain't going to be able to do that, sonny. The power of the Potaras lasts forever."

"FOREVER?!?" Kaiobit stared at the elder in shock.

And his headache, caused by the force of the arguments inside of his brain over the matter of Gohan, and a few other things, grew steadily worse…

__

As a Kaiooshin, Kaiobit did more than his share of good deeds. He transported Gokuu and company to Namek; about 20 Earth years later, he retrieved the Choo-Sui water from the Tenkai. But his head still ached, and he was gripped with a paralyzing anxiety at points.

Kibito would not leave the dominant personality [Kaiooshin] alone. He was still worried about Gohan, even though he was now married and had a young teenage daughter, Pan. And Kaiooshin tried to calm him down, but to no avail. This would be one hell of a lot easier if they had been in their respective bodies…

Not to mention the pressure Roo-Dai put him under. The old god said he was a worrywart and he shouldn't be watching over the Earth so much. But Roo-Dai had lost much of his telepathic abilities in his old age, and therefore was not able to understand the real reason Kaiobit kept his vigil over the Earth:

The arguments, the lover's spats going on inside of his brain. They wanted to make him lay down and die at points…Kibito had a hard time letting things go, and it was turning Kaiooshin inwardly and Kaiobit outwardly into a nervous wreck.

But that one word still bothered him:

FOREVER. He'd have to put up with this forever….

END PENTACLES

(Don't worry, there's still an epilogue to gooo….)


	22. Epilogue

****

Kaiooshin-Kai: A History

**__**

Epilogue

(a.k.a. the chappie you've all been waiting for….)

A DBZ fanfiction by LadyRivka

A/N: Some of this stuff will go over the heads of younger readers. Don't say you weren't warned. Also, I would like to dedicate this chappie to the late Tezuka Osamu, the father of modern manga, and to the physicists of the 20th and 21st centuries, for pressing on to get the Universe to reveal her little secrets. –L.R.

He was a witness to all.

While Kibito periodically nagged Kaiooshin about such things as Gohan, and even if he had had a crush on Hoshiko-sensee all those years ago, Kaiobit sat around on Kaiooshin-kai watching civilizations rise and fall, stars and planets being born and dying. He was especially sad to see Earth and its solar system go when its sun first turned into a red giant, and then spun off quite a bit of matter to become a white dwarf. Scorched planets, now lifeless, now frozen icicles (because of the shrunken sun) drifting in the vastness of space, waiting to get bombarded by space debris.

In the end, it was all useless. Five billion Earth-years of watching over the Universe through the crystal orbs on Kaiooshin-kai, and they were all futile. Kaiobit sighed. If planets and stars had a beginning and an end, and races, and civilizations, did the Universe? It would only make sense…

And that's when Kibito ceased his nagging. He knew he had a limited amount of time to make things up to Kaiooshin and prevent their fused form from becoming a nervous wreck.

But, Kaiobit was now subjected to an even worse form of nagging. From a female voice that wasn't familiar to him, but he recognized just the same.

The Universe Herself.

__

Listen, wise Kaiooshin, She thought unto him, _I am no longer the young thing I used to be. I am no longer the Great Mother of All that even the Gods of Gods recognize as superior to themselves. It is time, my son. It is time._

Kaiobit panicked and his whole body began to ache. Kaiooshin-kai rumbled below him, and Roo-Dai, who was looking at some very, very old copies of Sukebe, began to fade from sight like a bad television picture.

Then, he felt a force levitate his body above the planet. He watched the fourteen suns dim and die above him. Then, a force so strong it was ripping his fused body in two.

"Kai-Kaiooshin-sama?" said a surprised Kibito. "It has been a terribly long time since we have been two people."

"Yes," Kaiooshin whispered. "I was worried for all those years because I did not understand what "forever" meant."

"Worried, sir?"

"Yes, quite. You were in my- no, Kaiobit's- head nagging about Gohan-san and Hoshiko-sensee, both long-dead. I did not want to believe you could hold a grudge that long."

"Listen, sir. For that I am terribly sorry. It was very foolish of me to do so, but I believed it was for the best. Turns out I was wrong."

"Yes, you were, and I'm terribly glad you admit you were." The god smiled. "You see, sharing a body has taught me a great many things over the years. For one, fused persons do not really share a soul. Their souls are in a symbiotic relationship, helping to form the mind and personality of the fusion. But they do not truly comprehend each other, Kibito-san. I never did you, nor you me, I suppose."

"Hai." With that Kibito grinned. "Would you like to?"

"What do you mean?"

Kibito's answer came not verbally, or mentally, but in the form of a long, slow, passionate kiss. Kaiooshin could not help but deepen it as old wounds were healed, old bonds deepened between the two. All of a sudden, Kibito pulled back.

"Why did you do that? Are you hesitant again, love? My heart was always yours…I may have been naïve all those years ago on Planet Earth, but my heart has belonged to you ever since Majin Buu ravished our planet and left the two of us alone. Never forget that."

"I will not. But why I stopped…it is not because I have second thoughts, not at all. My time in the Universe is up, She told me Herself. I am not a Kaiooshin, so I must go back to my place among the rest of the matter in the Universe. I was lucky She gave us another chance before it all ended…"

And the last Kaiooshin saw of Kibito was his smiling face before he disintegrated and went into the developing singularity.

As the singularity grew larger and had developed into a black hole, Kaiooshin saw the remnants of everything except for him swirl its way into its voracious mouth. Oddly, he stayed where he was.

We want you to come back to us, came the voice of the Universe along with a couple others. We need you. We need to be Five, and not Four. Give up the matter of your body and return to us.

If it needs to be done, he thought…

Kaiooshin felt a force, stronger still than the one that had separated him and Kibito, separate his soul from his body. The now-disintegrated body traveled into the black hole, and his soul followed.

A few milliseconds later, the Universe had closed in on Herself, and all was nothingness.

___

Time, reset to zero. Matter, reset to zero. Cosmic Consciousness had reset herself to Zero.

The new Universe pressed outwards, making a name for Herself. She was still in infancy, but she did not care.

Subatomic particles jettisoned off into space, and after them came the five Kaiooshin-Spirits, who, when their work was completed, would establish a planetary home, Kaiooshin-kai, and also be born into material bodies among the inhabitants of this planet.

The Universe, the wise young Child, was starting over, in all probability making the same mistakes as Her Mother had.

For once the phoenix rises from the ashes, it loses all memory of itself.

END OF KAIOOSHIN-KAI: A HISTORY

A/N: You like? The Kaiooshin-Spirits are why the Kaiooshins have their distinct energy-signatures (q.v. Wands 2).

This was kind of a Shintoo-deist cosmology, with, of course, some actual physics thrown in.

Read and review, PLEASE!


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